Avatar Special: The Last Airbender
by DaPokemonMadster
Summary: A Pokespe/Avatar crossover! Brothers Red and Gold of the Fire Nation aren't sure how they feel about the war that their country is in the middle of, but when they find a strange person who claims to be an airbender frozen inside of an iceberg, their world changes in more ways than they ever bargained for. (Special, Oldrival, Mangaquest, Frantic, Entourage, and maybe Soulsilver)
1. The Airbender

**Hey everybody! I've been wanting to write this story for a while, so I'm starting it now and I can assure you, it's gonna be a long one! And an epic one XD! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokémon special/Adventures manga, Avatar the Last Airbender, or the picture representing my story**

 _Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. But then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. It's been one hundred years since then…_

The sun wavered in the sky as it began to set, its glow bathing Ember Island of the Fire Nation in a color that fit its name. The last glimmering rays fell upon a handsome manor house with arching red and gold gables, and soaring turrets. Over the door hung a red flag with a black flame emblazoned on it. It was the house of a Fire Nation general.

"Where is he?" Growled a boy with messy black hair and piercing red eyes. He was standing inside the house and before a stove with an apron wrapped around his waist. Flames curled from his hands, and slowly roasted the two steaks sitting neatly in a pan that he was holding.

"Food'll be cold or burnt by the time he gets his lazy self up here.." The boy murmured again. Just then he heard the front door slam open, and loud footsteps announced the arrival of another boy in the kitchen.

"Hey, I'm home." The first boy turned around to face the newcomer. He was met with bright gold eyes, a wide grin, and hair as black and messy as his own.

"Took you long enough, Gold. Where've you been?" Red sighed, deftly pulling the steaks out of the pan and onto two plates.

"I was playing hide-and-explode with Joey!" Gold smiled winningly, loosening the belt of the school uniform he had neglected to change out of and wiping soot from his face.

"Yeah, sure. Not hitting on Bugsy again, right?"

"Aw, c'mon Red! That was only once! And it was an accident!" Red chuckled to himself at the indignant expression on Gold's face.

"What about you? Wearing that frilly apron." Gold shot back.

"Oh, gonna insult the apron? You wanna cook?" Red replied, hastily taking off the apron in question.

"You know I'd give us food poisoning."

"...Yeah, you got me there." Red conceded, taking a seat across from Gold and tucking into the meat.

"Besides, no one makes Ember Island steak like you do bro!" Gold said, shoving half of his meal down his throat in one go. Red couldn't help but smile at his younger brother's antics.

"Heard from mom?" Gold asked the usual question, expecting the usual answer.

"...Yes." Red replied at length.

"Whoa! Wait, what?! Seriously?" Gold's head shot up.

"Yes." Red repeated, "But.. she's not coming home anytime soon Gold. She's stuck outside of Omashu. It.. it might be another year before she can come home." Gold's face fell. Red sighed and placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. Gold shook it off angrily.

"Why? Why does she have to be a stupid general for the stupid Fire Lord?" He spit out bitterly.

"You shouldn't talk about the Fire Lord like that-"

"I don't care! Why does she have to go to war in the first place? Why is there a war? It's not like we need to take over the world or anything!"

"I don't know Gold." Red looked down at the table, "I don't see the point of it either." They sat in silence for a while, Gold moodily watching flames dance around his fingertips.

"Want to go out tonight? Do something fun?" Red offered, in hopes of raising Gold's spirits.

"...Well.. The Ember Island Players are performing tonight and-"

"Absolutely not. I'm sorry I offered." Red stated flatly.

"Awww, why not?" Gold said eagerly, knowing that his brother would cave eventually. Red silently thanked Sozin that Gold had dropped their prior conversation so readily, but really wished that he had picked something, anything else, to do.

"What's the play?" Red sighed, and Gold did a little fist pump.

"Love Amongst the Dragons." Gold answered, retying his belt. Red groaned.

"Aw, c'mon Red! Dragons, love, hot girls… what more could you want?" Gold said excitedly.

"I'm subjecting myself to a night of torture aren't I.." Red mumbled as his brother dragged him from the house.

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"Okay Gold, can we leave now? We made it to intermission." Red pleaded.

"No way, it's just getting good!" Gold replied, purchasing a bag of fire gummies from a vendor, "Want some?" He offered, and Red nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess. But I really want to leave. How do you even like this kind of stuff? They're awful actors!"

"Red, Red, Red." Gold shook his head pityingly and placed his arm around the older boy's shoulders, "Surely you must know that a play isn't about the acting. Why do you think the audience is mostly male?" Red shook his head in exasperation.

"Oh, I have no clue." He said sarcastically.

"It's all about the girls. Nobody cares if someone's a good actor or not, all that matters is if they're hot- Why hello there little lady!" He called after a girl, who blushed furiously and waved before being hurried off by her friend. Gold chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Please Gold. You can drag me out here, but stop doing that. I'm embarrassed to be seen with you sometimes." Red said.

"You should learn from me bro! Sixteen and still no girlfriend.. a good looking guy like you.." Gold tutted. Red's face flushed slightly, and he punched Gold in the shoulder.

"Owch! Geez.. don't need to hit so hard.." he turned and began walking back to his seat, "Come on, you promised to watch the whole thing!" Red sighed defeatedly, and began trudging back inside, but suddenly froze.

"Did you see that?" Red questioned, looking out to the beach from the theater's open balcony.

"Did I see what? Don't you try to get out of this-" Gold began.

"No, I'm serious. Wait, there it is again!" Red cut him off, squinting out to the ocean.

"I bet it's some sort of glowing fish- hey! Red!" Gold shouted in alarm as his brother swung his leg over the balcony and leapt off.

"That idiot, we're gonna miss the best part.." Gold muttered to himself, glancing over his shoulder and into the theater longingly. With a drawn out sigh, he leapt over the balcony after Red. He landed lightly on the sand, and ran towards the silvery water. A full moon hung in the sky, and a few wispy clouds floated in front of it. Gold's feet began to sink in the sand as he got closer to the water, and he felt liquid start to seep into his shoes.

"Red!" He shouted at the older boy who was knee-deep in the ocean, "What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy!?" Reluctantly, Gold waded into the water after his brother, wriggling uncomfortably as his clothes became weighted down and soaked through.

"Look." Red stated simply, and Gold complied. Past a small rocky outcrop that was barely visible in the darkness, there was something aglow that was not the moon. It was beneath the surface of the water, and seemed to be growing larger.

"Come on." Red whispered, tugging on Gold's sleeve. He began to swim towards the outcrop.

 _This is insane_. Gold thought to himself, but curiosity overcame him and he started out after his sibling.

Red gasped as a small wave hit him in the face, then his hands met the rocks and he pulled himself out of the water. Panting slightly, he shook his sodden hair from his eyes and stared in wonderment as the glow seemed to get brighter, and the source, closer. He heard a cough and knew Gold had crawled onto the outcrop after him.

"What.. is it?" Gold asked quietly.

"Shh. It's coming closer." Red replied. They stared with wide eyes as the surface of the water stretched and broke over the top of a ball of… _ice_? The boys could only keep watching as the entirety of the monstrous iceberg was revealed, the glow slowly fading until it sat, motionless, before them. For a minute, they didn't stir.

"Red.." Gold began.

"I saw it too. There's someone in there."

"What do we do?"

"What can we do, other than help?" Red asked, and Gold stared into his eyes for a minute, before nodding silently. The two boys spread their legs in a stance, and thrust their fists forward. Two balls of flame hit the huge mound of ice, and shattered part of it. Hissing steam erupted on contact, and they squinted, trying to see through it. The silhouette of a figure slumped forward, and Red rushed forward and caught the strange person, noting that they seemed to have blond hair, a color not native to the Fire Nation, and that they were wearing a large straw hat.

"Wh-what is it?" Gold asked tentatively from behind Red.

"It's a person… a boy, I think." Gold breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, thought it was some alien, or a monster-" He was cut off as a low growl sounded from within the half-melted chunk of ice that remained.

"Okay, what is _that_?" Red questioned, backing away slightly with the strange boy still in his arms.

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"My lord, I have important news." A slender woman with pitiless slate gray eyes and purple hair announced. She was standing in a long room and facing a raised platform which had a wall of fire spouting from it.

"What? Spit it out and be done with it." A voice growled from behind the flames. The woman's face stretched into a thin-lipped smile.

"We have just received word from the Fire Temple on Crescent Island… The Avatar has returned." The fire roared and the flames got larger for a split second, and then died down.

"The Avatar? And do we know where said Avatar happens to be now?" Fire Lord Giovanni asked.

"Why yes, we do indeed my liege." The woman said, bowing, "There was a glow seen from Ember Island not fifteen minutes ago." Giovanni's face creased into a deadly smirk.

"Excellent princess Sird, excellent. We shall capture the last shred of hope that the world has, and conquer the Earth Kingdom. Send the prince out at once." He ordered, and Sird frowned slightly.

"The prince my lord?"

"You heard me."

"But my lord, with all due respect, do you believe he will actually carry out his mission?"

"I do. As long as he believes the lies I fed him. I will turn him into the perfect child yet, Sird." She gave him a doubtful glance, "Now!" Giovanni barked, and she bowed yet again.

"Your wish is my command, of course." She said, and swept from the room.

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"Ungh…" The strange boy groaned, rubbing his eyes. Red noticed peculiar tattoos on the backs of his hands. They seemed to be blue arrows.

"Hey Gold, he's waking up!" Red frantically whispered to his brother.

"Hate to disturb you bro, but I think we have a bigger problem on our hands." Gold said in a panicky murmur. The deadly rumbling growl was still hovering in the air all around them.

"Chu...chu?" The boy muttered, and his eyes fluttered, then flew open in shock.

"Whoa!" Red cried out as the blond suddenly began to flail, leaping away from the brothers.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Gold shouted, clutching his nose where the boy had accidentally hit him.

"Chuchu!" He cried out again, the threatening growl stopped, and was replaced by a frantic yipping noise. Out of the debris a small furry _thing_ came flying into the boy's arms.

"Wh-what is that furry little pipsqueak?" Gold cried out in astonishment.

"Don't tell me.. was that thing the one growling?" Red asked incredulously.

"Yeah, this is my baby flying bison, Chuchu! She has a scary growl doesn't she?" The boy said with a wide grin, "Oh! I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Yellow!"

"I'm Red, and this is my younger brother, Gold." Red answered. Gold looked at Chuchu with suspicious eyes. The small bison sneezed, and a glob of snot hit him right in the face.

"Ugh! What the- it's in my hair!" Gold yelled in horror.

"Oh, sorry about that! She does that sometimes." Yellow giggled, as Gold frantically tried to finger-comb the gunk from his impressive bangs.

"Umm, Yellow? Who exactly.. are you? Where are you from, and… why were you stuck in an iceberg?" Red inquired in a small voice. The boy in question was staring around with wide eyes.

"Whoa, wait, too many questions at once! Hey… where are we?" He asked. Gold facepalmed.

"The Fire Nation." Red answered.

"Fire Nation? Oh, well that's okay, I have friends in the Fire Nation after all!" Yellow said, relieved.

"You do? Wait, where are you from exactly?" Gold cut in.

"The Western Air temple! Oh that's right, I'm an airbender!" Yellow said with a wide smile. He leapt ten feet into the air, did a backflip, and then slowed his descent with a gust of wind. Gold gave Red a startled look.

"Umm.. Yellow.." Red began, but froze. Loud shouts flew across the water, and as the three benders whipped around, spotlights began sweeping the waves, edging nearer to them. Sleek Fire Nation battleships could be seen, bobbing in the water and billowing smoke.

"Oh crud, you think they're after us?" Red asked his brother.

"One thing's for sure, if we stick with this guy they will be." He glanced at Yellow, and then continued in a whisper, "An _airbender_ Red. Either this guy is crazy, or he's telling the truth, in which case he's a target. Our best bet is to get out of here."

"I know.. but I can't just leave him here. That's not the right thing to do, Gold." The younger boy rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you." He sighed, "Ugh, but I knew you were going to say that. Hey! Straw hat boy! This way!" He said to Yellow, gesturing to the water. Red and Gold slipped into the dark swells for the second time that night, and Yellow followed, staring at the spotlights with wide eyes.

"Why are they after us?" He hissed to the two Fire Nation boys. Chuchu gave a small whine from where she was hovering around their heads.

"Save your breath for swimming, and try to stay silent! We'll be okay!" Red assured him in a low voice.

"Y'know," Gold choked around a mouthful of seawater, "If we're talking about the right thing to do, it'd probably be turning him in. I mean, we are Fire Nation after all. Are you sure this is okay?"

"...I don't know, Gold. Things aren't making sense right now. But I feel that this is the right thing to do, so I'm going to do it." Red answered, "Dive!" He hissed in alarm, and shoved the heads of his two companions and Chuchu beneath the water before following suit. A spotlight swept over where they had just been bobbing. They reemerged, gasping for breath.

"Sorry about that." Red whispered over his shoulder, before continuing to strike out for land. Chuchu snarled at him, and grumpily shook the wet out of her fur. Gasping, the three dragged themselves onto the damp sand, and eyed the shore warily. Gold waved to them, and gestured upshore. The other two followed at a crouch. They scurried between the supports and under the raised porch of one of the huge summer houses that littered the beach.

"Aww, I lost my hat." Came a whisper. Yellow slumped to the ground, panting. Red and Gold stared.

"Wait a minute.." Gold began. They were looking at somebody who was obviously the same kid, but something was… _off_. There was a long blond ponytail where Yellow's hat should have been.

"Wh-wh-wh… b-but.. h-he's a girl.." Red mumbled in disbelief.

"Wait.. whaaaat!?" Gold gaped.

"Umm, what do you mean?" Yellow questioned, looking confused, "I've always been a girl."

"He's a girl." Red repeated. Gold blinked, and then seemed to pull himself together.

"Very intelligent of you, Red." He said, slapping his brother on the back, "Well Yellow, I don't know if we've had proper introductions yet but-" He inched closer, running a hand through his hair and flashing her a carefree grin. Red elbowed him in the ribs.

"Owch! Hey!" Gold turned on him.

"Is this really the time?" Yellow sighed, and pointed, "Because I think we might be in trouble if those guys are looking for us." Red and Gold snapped their heads around to see what she was indicating, and what met their eyes made their stomachs drop. Hundreds of soldiers milled about in the town square, holding torches which glimmered off the bright white of their trademark skull helmets. But what was worse, was the lights that flickered on in one particular building.

"Gold, they're in our house." Red said, panic gripping at his throat. The golden-eyed boy seized up beside him.

"Red, can we please ditch her now? I don't want to be caught. We haven't done anything wrong yet, I-I just want to go home and see mom again." Red heard the plea in Gold's voice, and felt the temptation it brought with it. They could say goodbye to this whole problem if they just left Yellow to the troops. Surely they wouldn't hurt her, and the two could go back to their normal lives, the ones where their mom would come back to them. The ones where they weren't being hunted down by their own country. He glanced over his shoulder at Yellow. Now that he got a good look at her, the girl seemed much smaller than she had when they first met, but that might also be due to her missing the enormous straw hat. She was wet and shivering, and when she looked up, her eyes met his. Trust was shining there.

"No." He answered, and Gold looked at him, "I'm sorry Gold, but.. I-I can't. I can't just abandon someone like that. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Gold heaved a long, drawn out sigh, and Red was scared for the reply that came tumbling out of his lips.

"Then.. we can't stay here." Gold finally muttered, and Red smiled thankfully at him.

"We could steal one of those." Yellow suggested, waving at one of the large, metal navy ships that was floating in the water just offshore. The two boys stared at her. Then stared at each other. Gold grinned. Red facepalmed.

"Y'know, I think we're gonna get along just fine straw hat gu- I mean, gal!" The younger of the two said, throwing an arm about Yellow's shoulder. She smiled craftily at him.

"How do you suppose we go about doing this Gold?" She asked him. Red looked at the boards above him, praying to Sozin that Gold would have a strategic and good answer for once in his life.

"Brute force!" Gold announced, and Red groaned.

 **A/N: Whoo! Chapter one down! I've already started on chapter two, so be ready! Also, just letting you know that while I focus a lot of my attention on this story, I will periodically be writing others that are pokespe only. So stay tuned!**

 **If you're curious about their clothes, Gold is wearing the Fire Nation school uniform, Red is wearing what Sokka wore during his time in the Fire Nation, and Yellow is wearing the normal airbender getup.**


	2. The Prince

**Hey! So here I am with chapter two! I might even be able to do a chapter a day at this rate (Don't take me up on that)! Alrighty, well not much to say except thank you to reviwers and those that favorited/followed! You guys make me really happy and motivated! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga or Avatar the Last Airbender**

"Gold brute force is great… But we're kinda against hundreds of elite soldiers here." Red slid into the conversation, forcing a smile onto his face, "Maybe we should try.. stealth?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Gold gasped, "Oh boo Red, what happened to your sense of adventure?"

"I propose a compromise, where we stealthily sneak onto the ship and then beat up whoever is in there. And I vote that we get out of here now." Yellow said, tapping them on their shoulders and pointing towards the squad of soldiers that was making their way along the beach and towards the house that they were taking refuge under.

"Seconded." Red said immediately, grabbing Gold by the collar and Yellow by the hand. They scrambled out from under the house just as the squad stopped and checked beneath it.

 _Why are there so many soldiers? Did they know that Yellow was here? And how?_ Red thought to himself, as he dove into the sand and began to wriggle across the beach, trying to steer clear of torchlight.

"Get under the dock." Gold silently mouthed to them. Red and Yellow nodded, and the three quickly rolled underneath the structure that the target ship was docked to. They all inhaled sharply as somebody mounted the steps onto the platform that they were under. Red clamped a hand over Gold's mouth and Yellow clutched Chuchu as the person took measured steps across the wood, knocking dust and sand through the cracks. The three shut their eyes as it trickled onto their faces. Chuchu sneezed. They froze, as did the soldier above them. Nothing moved for a minute. Then, the boards creaked and the soldier continued to walk away.

"Go!" Red mouthed, pointing upwards as soon as the soldier had passed. The others nodded, and the three benders grabbed the edge of the boards and flipped on top of the dock. They raced down the length of it, checking over their shoulders to make sure there was no sign of pursuit.

"Red, look out!" Yellow whispered from behind him, and he glanced forward. There was a guard in front of him. Red didn't slow, but punched him in the mask as they sped by, thinking that a fireball would be a little too conspicuous.

"Yeowch!" Red gasped, shaking his hand. The guard shook his head and woozily drew back his fist to toss a fireball their way, but before he could, a sudden gust of wind threw him into the ocean. He yelled loudly.

"They'll have heard him and the splash." Yellow said, and the brothers nodded. Shouts erupted from behind them, and lent speed to their flight. Gold was the first to reach the ship. Red reached it second, and cupped his hands for Gold to step in. Then he heaved and tossed Gold onto the deck, and turned to lend a hand to Yellow. Yellow grinned at him, before leaping up onto the ship's deck in one jump. Red gaped, and Gold yelled down at him from the ship;

" _Not_ the time to be spacing out!" Red nodded, and engulfed his hands in flame. Concentrating hard, the fire on his hands slowly turned from the color of his name, to white. Sweat was trickling down his face as he placed his right hand on the metal plating of the ship. With a hiss, the metal gave way just enough to make a handhold. He extinguished the flames on his right hand and grabbed onto the dent. With a grunt of effort, Red pulled himself up with only his right arm, and melted another hold with his left hand. With a yell, he threw himself upwards, and his feet found the dents. Then he leapt upwards and flipped onto the deck, just as dawn began to break.

Yellow was standing on the deck, sparring with the soldier that had walked over the dock earlier. She easily dodged his flames, then dropped to the deck and swept his legs out from under him in a roundhouse kick. He crashed down, and another gust of wind threw him off the ship entirely. Gold gave her a thumbs up and began blasting fire down the stairs of the ship.

"I'll cover the inside!" He shouted to the other two. Suddenly, fireballs began hitting the deck from above them. With the help of the pale light that began filtering into the sky, the three spotted a firebender soldier with an open-faced red helmet firing at them from the ship's bridge. Gold continued shooting flames down the stairs, and Red tried to toss his own fireball at the guard, but his target was too high up. He continued to dodge for a moment, until Yellow leapt high into the air, and with the help of an air blast, propelled herself to the bridge. The shocked guard shrieked and fired a funnel of flames at her face. Yellow knocked it aside with her arm, which was encased in wind, and shoved the guy overboard into the water. Then she gracefully jumped back down to the deck, slowing her descent at the last minute.

"Wow." Red said, and Gold nodded vigorously.

"The guys have stopped coming from down below now. I think they're all unconscious." He reported, and the other two gave him a thumbs up.

"We should drop them in the water so their friends can pick them up and they won't get more injured." Yellow said, and the other two helped her as she walked down the stairs to toss the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers overboard. The soldiers spluttered, and swam to the shore, their dignity injured.

"Well, congratulations! We just stole a battleship!" Gold grinned, and the three of them highfived. A huge fireball whooshed past their heads, barely missing Red. They whipped around and stared at the dock. A boy was standing there, backed by a legion of troops. Next to him was a bald, aging man with a mustache and shades, whose fist was still smoking.

"Oh no.. the prince?" Red gasped, and Gold's eyes widened.

"Why is the prince here? What's the big deal over one tiny airbender?" Gold asked incredulously.

"Hey! I'm not that tiny!" Yellow replied indignantly, "But what's the problem with this 'prince' guy? Is that a nickname?"

"A nickname?" Gold laughed.

"Yellow, it's no nickname. That guy is the crown prince of the Fire Nation. And it's a problem because they sent someone with that rank after _you_. Do you have any idea why?" He turned to face her, and she shook her head, but he thought that he caught a glimpse of guilt in her eyes.

"Do you know him well?" She asked quietly.

"Very." Gold growled, "And aside from being a really good firebender, he's absolutely infuriating!"

"How so?" Yellow asked, but was cut off as the prince began to speak.

"Red, Gold! What do you two think you're doing?" He shouted up to them, "Fire Lord Giovanni will be furious to learn of your betrayal, but it's not too late to tell him that you were just confused. I'm sure he will be able to forgive the children of his most trusted general." Yellow studied the boy. He was wearing red armor buckled over a gray shirt, and a strange white hat with the Fire Nation insignia emblazoned on the front that was pulled low over his angry red eyes. His hair seemed to be jet black, but it was hard to tell with the spiky hat.

"Give it a rest, prissy boy! We're not coming down!" Gold yelled back, and the old man next to the prince bristled.

"Don't you dare insult the prince with that despicable-"

"It's okay." Ruby sighed, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder, "I'm sorry to hear that. Then I have to take you two into custody, along with the Avatar." Red and Gold's heads snapped around to stare at Yellow with unconcealed shock.

"Wh- the what now?!" Gold shrieked, and Red said nothing, just stood there with his mouth gaping wide. Yellow's face flushed slightly.

"Y-you're… the Avatar?" Red finally managed to whisper. She hung her head.

"Please stand down and hand the Avatar over to us, or things will get… ugly." Prince Ruby shuddered at the word. Gold rolled his eyes. Red glanced again at Yellow, and he began to fully grasp the gravity of their situation.

"Let them take me. You two shouldn't risk your freedom just for me." Yellow told them.

"Yeah right." Red said loudly, "Like we're going to leave you after stealing a ship. You two fight them off, I'm going to go try and get this thing moving." With that, he crouched low and began sneaking towards the stairs of the ship. Gold nodded.

"Fine. There's no way we can win, we surrender." Gold said to Ruby, in a defeated voice. Ruby nodded in understanding, and gestured to his men.

"As if!" Gold stuck his tongue out, and threw a fireball straight at Ruby's face. The prince looked shocked as he batted it away .

"That's it! Board the ship!" The elderly man yelled, and the troops began moving forward. The man himself retaliated fiercely with a blast of fire that knocked Gold backwards.

"Gold!" Yellow cried, but she was unable to help him as she was busy knocking soldiers away from the ship with powerful gusts of wind. The old man shot off the ground, blasting fire from his fists. He landed on the ship and whipped around to face Gold.

"That'll be the last time you insult the prince." He growled dangerously.

"Hey Gold! Get up!" Yellow screamed, still fending off the swarm of troops. Some could be seen on the shore, rushing towards the dock while carrying ladders. A few soldiers were copying what Red had done for Gold earlier, and were launching each other into the air, only for Yellow to bat them down again. But she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer.

 _Hurry Red!_ She thought frantically, "Gold, _get up_!" She yelled again, this time with more desperation. Gold woozily raised his head, the back of it throbbing from where it had hit the railing, just in time to see a fist coated in flame coming straight for him.

"Whoa!" He yelped, rolling out of the way just in time. There was now smoking crater where his head had been just moments before. Gold leapt to his feet, ducked another punch and then threw one himself. The man easily blocked it. Gold dropped and kicked upwards with both legs cloaked in flame. The old man grunted as the kick connected, but then opened his mouth and breathed flames at the boy. Gold crossed both arms in front of his face and took the blow. Then he lowered his arms, only for his opponent to kick him in the jaw, hard.

"Ungh!" Gold grunted as he crashed to the ground. The man advanced towards him, his mustache bristling in rage and his glasses reflecting the glow of the flames flickering over his fist. Just then, the boat lurched violently. The man stumbled, and looked up just as black soot began pouring from the smokestack. The ship lurched again, and began to move.

"Awright, he's done it!" Gold grinned blearily at his enemy.

"Blaine! Get out of there! We will pursue them later!" The prince called from the dock. The man, Blaine, glared once more at Gold, and then backflipped off the deck. The shoreline got further away, until the mass of soldiers was no more than black dots under the rising sun on the beach of Ember Island. Yellow came over and offered a hand to Gold. He grinned wearily, and took it.

"Not a bad fighter are you, straw hat- or, should I call you, Avatar gal?" She hauled him to his feet and supported him as they walked down the steps to find Red. He was sitting high in the ship's turret, fist pumping and having the time of his life with the steering wheel.

"We did it!" He yelled ecstatically, "Holy vulturewasps! Gold, are you alright?" He gasped when he caught sight of his younger brother.

"Fine, just met a tough old geezer." Gold waved dismissively, sitting down on the floor with his back against the wall.

"So Yellow.. You're the Avatar?" He said, looking at her.

"Yeah, how come you never told us anything?" Red asked, using a rope to lash the wheel in place and coming to sit beside Gold.

"It's… it's a sensitive story. But it's not like I had time to tell you, what with stealing a ship and all." She grinned, looking up at them.

"True, but this ship is a problem. Even though it's a small one we can't just go about in it, we'll attract too much attention." Red mused, and Gold nodded.

"Hold up, a _small one_?" Yellow asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, haven't you seen a battleship before?" Gold asked.

"No! Of course not!" Yellow replied.

"But they were invented fifty years ago! You can't be more than thirteen-"

"I'm fourteen for your information!" Yellow countered.

"WHAT?! You're older than me?!" Gold gasped.

"Hold up guys…" Red muttered, "If Yellow really hasn't seen a battleship… wait, the Avatar hasn't been seen for one hundred years.. right? Oh no." He froze, and the others reached the same conclusion. Yellow slumped to the ground.

"...No…" She whispered, "No… it-it can't be!" The boys looked at each other. Yellow's eyes were blank with shock and she put her arms over her head, like she was trying to curl in on herself.

"Yellow.. I.. I'm sorry, but.. I think it's true." Red said gently, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"No." She denied, but she didn't shake him off, "I won't accept it. I won't accept it until I see it for myself." She slowly stood, a defiant look on her face. Red looked to Gold for aid, but the battered boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"Set a course for the Western Air Temple." She told Red.

"But Yellow.." Red began, not sure how to start.

"No buts. Just do it, please." She said, looking at Red. Red could see that she was on the verge of tears. Not that he could blame her, he would probably have a breakdown too if he discovered that he was actually over one hundred years old.

"Alright." He caved, and walked to the wheel. As he passed Gold he whispered,

"At least we have a destination now." With a sigh, Yellow sat down again in a corner, pulling a small whistle from her garb that seemed to be shaped like a bison. She brought it to her lips and blew it. No sound came out.

"Huh, what's with the whistle? It's busted." Gold said.

"No, it's not. It's for Chuchu. Bisons can hear at a higher pitch than humans can." Yellow explained, and the small bison came flying through the door and into Yellow's arms. She smiled, and lightly stroked Chuchu's head between her horns.

"Oh." Gold said, and then closed his eyes, "You know, it's strange to think that only a few hours ago I was watching an awesome play with some really hot girls in it. Now I'm being hunted by my own country, and have nowhere to return to." He opened his eyes again, "But y'know, I'm glad that we were able to help you." He grinned at Yellow, and then realised she had fallen asleep.

"What?! Hey c'mon! I was saying some nice stuff there!" He cried indignantly.

"Hehe, you should probably get some sleep too, Gold." Red said from the front of the room.

"Huh." Gold huffed, but his eyes closed of their own accord, and soon his lusty snores filled the room.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"You mean to tell me.. that the Avatar escaped?" Came the deadly calm voice of Fire Lord Giovanni.

"Yes my lord." Ruby answered.

"You useless child…" Giovanni growled dangerously, "I told you not to underestimate her but your incompetence-"

"With all due respect my liege," Ruby managed through gritted teeth, "but the Avatar is not only skilled and clever even after being frozen for one hundred years, she was also not alone." Silence filled the room.

"Tell me who was with her." Giovanni's voice raked the air. It was not a question, but an order.

"Red and Gold." Was the reply.

"What?! The children of my best general, betrayed their country?" Giovanni spat with rage, the wall of fire that cloaked him burning even higher.

"It seems so." Ruby said calmly, looking at the floor.

"Ruby, you will get back on your ship and you will follow them to the world's end if you must. And you will pray to Sozin that you know which way they went." Giovanni said, his voice growing louder.

"And what if I don't?" Ruby asked in a moment of defiance, anger glinting in his eyes. The wall of flames died, and Giovanni stared at the boy he named prince with deadly black eyes.

"You know what will happen if you don't." He answered, and a look of unbridled fury flitted across Ruby's face.

"Yes.. my lord." He forced out. Then he bowed and left the room.

"Blaine!" Ruby called to his aide as soon as he had exited the Fire Lord's chamber.

"Yes my prince?" The man stood to attention.

"Prepare the boat. We are going after the Avatar.

"We have been chosen for this task?" He questioned curiously.

"Yes. And this is one that I cannot fail, no matter what." Ruby answered.

 **A/N: Whoo! Chapter two done! And... plot twist! Hahahahaha! I bet none of you were expecting Ruby huh?! XD Never fear! All will be explained in time, and I have this all planed out (for once)!**

 **If you're curious about the clothes Ruby is wearing, he is literally wearing the same clothes Zuko wore in the first couple of episodes plus the hat, which now has a Fire Nation symbol on it instead of a 'U' thing.**

 **Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated as always!**


	3. The Temple

**Hey all! Chapter three here! And just to adress any concerns you Zutaras have, I can assure you that there will be no morganiteshipping (Ruby x Yellow) in this fic. As you can probably tell already, this fic is not following the plotline from Avatar, and even if these characters go to the same places, you can safely assume that they will have a slightly different experience than Aang, Katara and Sokka. Enough of me, here's chapter three (hey, that rhymed)!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

"Red where are- what are you wearing?" Yellow asked. Red had just rounded a corner of one of the ship's many passages, and was wearing a suit of Fire Nation armor that was way too big for him.

"Pretty cool huh? I've always wanted to try some armor on." He struck a heroic pose and the visor fell over his face. Yellow giggled. Red slid the visor back up.

"There sure seems to be a lot of different kinds of armor that the Fire Nation army wears." She pointed out, "Do you know the difference?"

"Well I know some. The one I'm wearing now is a suit usually worn by guards of the Boiling Rock. That's a high security prison." He added, seeing the confused look on Yellow's face.

"Well, if what you told me is true, I don't think it's a good idea to go tramping about in Fire Nation armor." Yellow sighed.

"I guess you're right." Red said forlornly, "I'd probably be mugged if I so much as set foot in the Earth Kingdom, or anywhere else for that matter. We're going to have to be careful, Fire Nation faces aren't appreciated, and now we aren't even in our own country." Yellow placed a comforting hand on his back.

"I'm not appreciated there either!" She laughed, and Red couldn't help but smile.

"You're wanted everywhere else though." He pointed out, "You're the Avatar! Master of the four elements! The only one who can oppose the Fire Lord!"

"But.. I don't know anything other than airbending." Yellow admitted.

"Wait, seriously?!" Red asked, and she nodded.

"I got frozen before I could begin my training." She shrugged.

"But you can learn all the elements, right?" Red questioned.

"Of course! I just need an instructor!" She smiled at him.

"Well in that case Ms. Avatar, I would be honored to be your firebending instructor." Red said formally, giving a little bow.

"Haha! Well in that case, Sir Red, I will take you up on that offer!" They grinned at each other.

"You could always take me up on my offer of a date too!" Gold's voice echoed down the passage, "By the way, we're approaching land!" The smile faded from Yellow's face, and she turned and ran to the ship's bridge. The wind whipped at her hair and stung her eyes as she stared out at the mass of land before her.

"Is that it? Where your temple is, I mean." Red asked as he walked out behind her. She nodded without looking at him. Then she whirled around, pushed passed him and rushed to where Gold was.

"How long before we dock?" She asked breathlessly. He looked at her with startled eyes.

"How in the world would I know? I'm not a ship's captain!" He replied. She sighed irritably.

"Probably twenty minutes." He said with a grin. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a smile. She sat down against the wall, and twiddled her thumbs impatiently.

"How long now?"

"Umm, still twenty minutes?"

"But it was twenty minutes a minute ago."

"Okay, so nineteen. Do the math yourself." He said exasperatedly, "If you're gonna be annoying then you can go wait somewhere else."

"That's rich, coming from you. I bet you do this to Red all the time." Yellow snorted.

"Oh, you know I do, but still! Don't talk back to your captain!" Gold huffed.

"You said you weren't a captain." She sniggered.

"You know what-" He turned around angrily.

"Sorry Gold, I just… I want to get there soon." He stared at her for a moment with his bright gold eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I'll see if I can make this thing go any faster. But you better go wait somewhere else, or I'll take it as a sign that you want to date me." Gold said dismissively, waving a hand at her. She hurriedly left the room.

"Darn." He said.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0oo0

"Okay, so where is this 'Air Temple' exactly? I don't see anything." Gold asked, sticking his pinky in his ear. The ship was docked in an inlet, and as hidden as a large black battleship can be. They were standing on the edge of a cliff, with the wind rippling through the coarse grass on the plains behind them. There wasn't a tree in sight.

"Yellow, you sure it's still here..?" Red asked tentatively, afraid to broach the sensitive subject.

"Of course! This place hasn't changed at all!" She grinned cheerily. Red and Gold glanced at each other with concerned looks. She rolled her eyes.

"Look." She pointed to the cliff. Gold and Red did as they were told, wondering if Yellow had cracked from the mental stress of finding out she was actually one hundred and fourteen.

"...I see a long way down." Gold concluded.

"Don't look straight down, look underneath the cliff!" She said.

"Whoa!" Red cried. He was leaning dangerously far out, but had caught sight of what Yellow wanted him to see. On the underside of the cliff clung a vast collection of upside-down buildings. The Western Air Temple.

"That.. is my home." Yellow breathed softly to her companions.

"Hey, not trying to break the mood or anything, but how're we supposed to get down there?" Gold asked.

"Do you trust me?" Yellow asked seriously. Red nodded without a second thought.

"I don't like the sound of that- AAAAHHH!" Gold screamed as Yellow shoved the brothers off of the cliff and sent them spinning into a freefall.

"Sozin, I know I haven't been the best person; I stole that cupcake when I was seven, and I was the one who released the platybus bear, yeah no actually Red helped with that one bu- that's not the point! I'M TOO YOUNG TOO DIE!" Gold shrieked as he tumbled through space.

Yellow shot past them, then spun around, and blasted them both with a huge gust of wind. The firebenders were sent scudding onto an open stone platform. Yellow puffed up her cheeks, then exhaled and sent herself crashing into Red, who was just getting up.

"Geez, wasn't there an easier way to get in here?" Gold asked from underneath the two other benders.

"Well, there was a set of stairs…" Yellow said pensively.

"Are you kidding me?" The younger boy shouted, "A near heart-attack for no reason?!" But Yellow had already untangled herself from the press of limbs and was running through the hallowed hall that hadn't been touched in almost a century. Chuchu happily zipped after her, emitting high-pitched excited squeaks.

"...Are you just going to let her find skeletons before you tell her the truth?" Gold asked Red, and the older boy looked down guiltily.

"She said it herself. She won't accept the truth until she sees it for herself."

"Still, you didn't even mention the Air Temple exterminations. She has no idea what she's about to find. This is gonna break her heart." Gold stared at Red and Red averted his gaze.

"I- I don't know what to do. Our whole world just fell apart over this girl."

"And you cared enough about her to let it happen. You should go help her." The younger boy said seriously.

"Yeah… Okay." The older boy took a deep breath and ran off after the girl.

"That's right, I'm a deep guy. Go get 'er tigermonkey." Gold whispered to himself.

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"Yellow!" Red shouted as he raced passed smashed fountains and crumbling statues of the monks that had once called the temple home. he caught sight of her blond ponytail whipping around a corner and followed, going full tilt. He skidded to a halt when he found her waiting for him, a large smile spread across her face and Chuchu buzzing around her head.

"Yellow-"

"C'mere Red, I want you to see this!" She said cheerily. He looked up, and was shocked to see that they were standing in front of what appeared to be a huge door of some sort.

"Are we going in there?" He said, and realized that he had begun to whisper for no particular reason.

"Uh huh." Yellow whispered back.

"How do we get in? There's no door knob."

"Silly, we get in with airbending!" Yellow smiled.

"..Right. Air Temple." Red muttered. She took a deep breath and shot air from both of her fists into two different funnels. Gears could be heard, creaking with age, but clicking and turning nevertheless. The doors slowly inched outwards, until at last they were fully open. A cool breeze laced with the smell of dust wafted out and played across their faces. Red looked at her nervously.

"I've never been in here before." she admitted as began to creep forward into the dark recess. Red followed. The room was dim and unlit, but Red could tell that it was enormous. A shiver ran through him. He felt as though he was trespassing, as if he was somewhere sacred, and that he didn't belong.

"It's magnificent.." Yellow murmured, her awed voice muted by a century's worth of dust and silence. Red's eyes adjusted, and he gasped. The room was circular, and the roof was so high that Red couldn't see it. The center of the room and all of the walls were lined with statues of varying nationality.

"If this is an Air Temple, why are there statues of people from the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and.." Red's eyes wandered around the room, "Fire Nation?"

"It's me." Yellow stated simply. Red looked at her in shock.

"What?" He spluttered, because none of these people even remotely resembled Yellow.

"It's me. My past lives. The past Avatars." She breathed, seemingly in a trance.

"Oh. How did you know that? I thought you'd never come in here before." Red questioned, slightly concerned.

"I just.. knew." Yellow replied, with a glassy look in her eyes that did nothing to reassure Red.

"Are you okay?" He stepped away from her, grabbed her face in his hands, and stared into her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Avatar's intuition I guess." She smiled weakly. He slowly lowered his hands.

"Yellow… about the other airbenders-"

"I know." She said, and he stared at her.

"You do?"

"Don't take me for an idiot, Red. I knew as soon as we got here… They would never leave the place in shambles. And it's always bustling with life too…" To Red's distress, she hiccupped slightly and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Oh geez, Yellow.." he glanced around frantically, half-hoping that there would be a tissue box laid out somewhere. He had no clue how to deal with a crying girl.

"I-I j-just couldn't accept it, th-that I'd actually b-been gone f-for a hundred years… And w-when I finally do come home… they're all… all gone!" At this she completely broke down, leaning into Red and sobbing into his shoulder. He eased himself down into a sitting position, and wrapped his arms around her. Chuchu mewled and settled on the ground beside Yellow, nuzzling her knee.

"They were like f-family to me, Red."

"I know." He said gently, "But y'know Yellow, Gold and I, we're here for you. We are your family now." She pulled away, and looked him in the eyes, tears still streaming down her face. She couldn't get the words out, but Red knew what she was mouthing.

 _Thank you_.

He smiled, and sat on the cold stone floor of the Western Air Temple with the last airbender.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Gold was bored. He was _really_ tempted to go and see what Red and Yellow were up to, but he knew better. This was a much more serious situation than anything Gold had ever experienced, but then again, he had experienced a lot of 'new' in the past day or so. He sighed again. Waiting around was dull.

"Wonder if there's anything to look at that's not busted rock…" He muttered to himself as he got to his feet, and began wandering around the temple with vague thoughts of exploring.

Gold had to admit, the Western Air Temple had to be the coolest place he had ever been, but it was also the quietest. Even on Ember Island at the dead of night, there was still the pounding of the waves on the shore, and the faint grumble of the night life from the center of town. This was the first place he had ever been that was truly silent. Sunlight glinted over the lip of the cliff, and softly illuminated the face of a toppled monk statue. Gold studied its face, and decided that it looked sad, which dampened his spirits slightly.

"Dangit, now you've got me feeling down. Darn statue." Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable tap of loose pebbles on stone, and whipped around, fists ablaze.

"Who's there?" He asked into the silence.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Prince Rub-"

"What do you want Blai- what happened to your clothes?!" Ruby shrieked at the sight of Blaine's normally crisp white coat and red tie covered in soot.

"Oh.. there was a slight malfunction with the engine and I aided the men in fixing it-"

"NO no no! We can't have that! Disgusting!" Ruby was already fussing about him, gingerly undoing the tie and tossing it to a startled soldier nearby.

"Wash that! Oh, and this too!" He added, tossing the white coat after the poor soldier as he trudged away.

"Ehm.. M'lord Rub-" Ruby placed a finger over Blaine's lips.

"First, let me fix your clothes. Then we'll talk." He hissed, and Blaine gulped, "B-but sir, you have a visitor-"

"Yes, you do indeed. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to entertain me?" A low and contemptuous voice said from the door. Ruby glanced up and wrinkled his nose. A man with ruddy hair, a flashy black cape over Fire Nation armor and a sneer stood just inside.

"Oh, and here I thought we had enough filth in the room. Good day Admiral Lance." He replied in a scathing tone.

"Hm, I see you haven't gotten over your girly obsessions _prince_ Ruby." Lance man said with deliberate sarcasm.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? What do you want?" Ruby straightened up and took a step towards Lance. Blaine stood off to the side, glaring daggers at Lance through his shades.

"I am simply here to inform you that you are getting quite close to waters under my control." Lance smiled nastily.

"I am on a mission from the Fire Lord, _Admiral_. I would suggest you clear a path for me now."

"Ah young prince," Lance tutted, "You forget that you hold no official authority over anyone in the military, and I see no reason for Lord Giovanni to hear of this incident."

"You ugly two faced scumbag." Ruby spat, "You will not stop me."

"Oh, I won't now, will I? What are you going to do, run and tell papa on big, bad Lance?" Lance baited, his face a mask of evil glee.

"That man, is not my FATHER!" Ruby roared, making a lunge for Lance. Blaine held him back.

"Whoa there! Be careful now, your princeship, nobody will be able to tell on me if you and your crew are at the bottom of the ocean."

"You despicable-" Blaine growled.

"Enough!" Ruby yelled, his eyes flashing dangerously, "..Alright Lance. You want to play a game? How about a fight then? If I win, you will let me pass. If you win, I will turn back and the Fire Lord will never hear of this."

"Seems fair enough to me." Lance agreed, "This will be a fistfight I presume?"

"Absolutely not. It will be a fashion design contest." Ruby answered hotly.

"No." Lance replied.

"..Fine. A fistfight then. No weapons, only bending." Ruby caved.

"Of course." Lance smiled thinly, "I will give you the rest of the day to prepare." With that, he swept from Ruby's chambers.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Yellow's sobs finally stopped, and she shakily got to her feet with help from Red.

"Ready to leave?" He asked, and she nodded. Tear tracks glistened on her face, and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, but her stance was firm and Red could see some resolve trickling back into her haggard face. He had to admire how resilient she was, even in the face of all that had happened to her. They walked slowly out of the room of statues, and Yellow didn't look back.

"It was the Fire Nation, wasn't it?" Yellow asked in a gravelly voice. Red stiffened.

"Yes." He said, scared for what she was going to say next.

"Don't worry Red, I don't blame you. None of this had anything to do with you or Gold." Yellow smiled, but it didn't reach her tired eyes, "I just want to know who was."

"Fire Lord Giovanni." He responded.

"Fire Lord… Giovanni." She mimicked, and Red saw the fire rekindle in her eyes.

"Red."

"What?"

"I know what I have to do."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to master all four elements, and when I do, the Fire Lord is going to pay for what he did to my people." Red saw the determination that was filling her up, and nodded.

"Yeah, he is."

"HEEEEY! Guys!" Gold's voice called. He had seen them and was running towards them at full speed, arms behind his back.

"Hey Gold!" Red waved to his brother.

"Whoa! Yellow! What happened?!" Gold gasped as he skidded to a halt.

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine." Yellow told him in a very non-convincing tone. Gold glared daggers at Red, with an unmistakable _What did you do?_ look on his face. Red shrugged and mouthed, _Nothing. I'll tell you later._

"Well anyways, I've got something that'll cheer you right up!" The young firebender grinned, "Look!" Gold brought his arms out from behind his back, and in them was cradled a small furry creature with a long tail and very large ears.

"A winged lemur!" Yellow gasped.

"Whoa!" Red cried as the lemur leapt onto his shoulder and licked his ear.

"I think he likes you." Yellow giggled, and Red shot a grateful smile to his brother. For once, Gold couldn't have had better timing.

"What're you gonna call him?" Yellow questioned.

"You want me to name him?"

"He sure seems to like you better than me." Gold grumbled.

"Well, in that case, I'll call him Pika!" Red said, and Pika purred from his perch on Red's shoulder.

 **A/N: And that concludes chapter three! Yeah, so no Avatar State for Yellow yet, I liked this better. Oh yes, and Blaine is wering his normal lab coat and tie (although his ite is red and has the Fire Nation insignia on it) because I couldn't imagine him any other way XD!**

 **Oh yes! The line Gold says when Yellow pushed him off the cliff was made up and suggested by the awesome Myracels! So give her full credit for that! Well, I hope you liked it, reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	4. The Agni Kai

**Hey all! Chapter four is here! Woot! Okay, so I've gotta warn you, there is a fight scene, and I'm not sure how well it turned out. I hope it's okay! Oh yes, and I have changed the name of the fic with a suggestion from FlameUser64. Thank you!**

 **Guriburu fan: I'm sorry I keep teasing with the slight ambershipping! I can't help it, it's just kind of how I write those two! One day I might make an ambershipping fic, just for you!**

 **One last thing. If you pride yourself on being a sailor, please do not take offense to anything that occurs in this chapter. This is completely fictional, and not based on real sailors of any kind. Other than that, I REGRET NOTHING. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

"Do I really have to?"

"Yes, you must." Blaine sighed as he pushed the thin bands further up Ruby's arms.

"But this is ridiculous, why do I have to fight shirtless?"

"It's an Agni Kai, young master. I did not make the rules, but you must follow them as the crown prince of the Fire Nation." Blaine said as he threw a red cloth over Ruby's shoulders. He then reached out for the prince's hat.

"The hat stays." Ruby said calmly, as he caught Blaine's hand in midair. Blaine nodded.

"You remember what to do m'lord? Break his stance. Aim for his feet." Ruby nodded in understanding.

"Of course. Thank you Blaine." Ruby took a deep breath, straightened, and walked out of the room to the deck. Lance was waiting, standing on the bow of the ship wearing identical garb and a wolfish smile.

"Not removing the hat?" He grinned. Ruby gave him a cold stare.

"Aww shame, I wanted to see what your dear daddy did to your head." He said, and Ruby stiffened, "Well shall we begin, your majesty?" He asked snidely. Ruby turned his back on him and kneeled without a word.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lance followed suit, "I wouldn't turn your back on me for anything other than an Agni Kai though, little prince."

"Lance, you talk too much." Ruby hissed. Lance chuckled.

"You may begin." Blaine called, and the two firebenders stood, the cloth falling from their shoulders. In one quick motion, they spun around and got into proper stance, one leg behind the other and fists up. Lance was smirking. Ruby was glaring at the despicable man before him. They began to circle each other, seeking an opening. Suddenly Lance lunged forward, and aimed a low swipe at Ruby's midriff. It connected, and Ruby stumbled backwards with a grunt. Lance aimed another swipe at Ruby's head, but the prince ducked and swung up at the admiral's face. Lance knocked his fist out of the way and blasted a stream of fire at Ruby, who nimbly dodged. Ruby shot three fireballs in quick succession, and then raced towards his enemy, ducking beneath his fist and coming up with a kick. It hit Lance square in the jaw, but the admiral's hand snatched Ruby's leg and he tossed the prince bodily. Ruby crashed to the ground, and was followed by another wave of flames. He endured the attack, but when the fire died Lance had run forward, and kicked him in the side. Ruby rolled away, and struggled to his feet, panting heavily.

They circled warily once more, both feeling the throbs of the injuries left by the other. Lance went for the first attack again, but this time, Ruby was ready. He stepped out of the way and stuck his foot out. Lance stumbled, and the prince shot a fireball at his back. The admiral whipped around and batted it aside, before charging with a barrage of attacks once more.

"I can see why your daddy gave you that scar, I would hit my kid too, if they were like you. You're a disgrace to the Fire Nation Ruby!" Lance spat venomously. Ruby's eyes narrowed, and his red irises seemed to blaze with fire. Instead of dodging his next punch, Ruby caught the admiral's fist.

"Don't you dare say that again." Ruby growled, "Don't you _dare_!" And he kicked Lance in the stomach, sending the man skidding across the deck. Lance got up slowly.

"Well well," He gasped, clutching his stomach, "Who would've thought that the emotionless prissy boy could be provoked?" He launched a blazing salvo of flames, and charged Ruby for the third time. Ruby found himself backing up quickly in order to avoid the bursts of fire. Then Lance's fist connected with his shoulder and he fell off balance. The admiral punched him in the jaw, and Ruby collapsed.

"Heh, well no need to worry anymore, little prince. It all ends here." Lance raised his hands above his head, and they turned white with heat. Ruby glanced at Blaine, who was shifting from foot to foot on the sidelines. His words from before came back to Ruby. Planting his hands on the deck, he spun, legs ablaze, and knocked into Lance. The admiral stumbled and Ruby leapt up, shooting fireball after fireball at Lance's feet. Lance tried to regain his balance, but couldn't and fell to the ground. Ruby placed one knee on his chest, and his fist in the admiral's face.

"Do it, you coward." Lance snarled, the grin gone from his face. Ruby's eyes flared with rage once again, but he slowly lowered his hand and stood up.

"The prince is the winner!" Blaine declared, the relief in his voice evident.

"I've hurt enough people, and you aren't worth it, scum. Just let me pass and stay out of my way." Ruby said in a low voice. He turned on his heel, and strode away.

"I was right, you really are a COWA-" Lance screamed as he dove at Ruby. Blaine intercepted.

"And my lord is right, you're worthless scum without a shred of honor or dignity." The old man said calmly. Lance seethed.

"I would suggest you leave now, admiral." Blaine said quietly, and Lance backed away, before spinning around and striding back to his ship.

"Thank you Blaine." Ruby said sincerely, looking at his friend.

"But of course, sire." Blaine gave a small bow.

"Argh!" The prince exclaimed.

"What's the matter sire?" Blaine asked hurriedly.

"I'm covered in sweat!" Ruby shrieked.

o0o00oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ready to leave?" Red asked his companions. Gold nodded.

"Yellow?" Gold asked the girl.

"Huh? Oh, oh yes." She said, a little absentmindedly.

"You good?" Red questioned, searching her face. Gold looked on in confusion. Red hadn't told him about what had transpired in the statue room. He didn't know if he ever would. It was the first time he had kept something from his brother, and all he had told him was that Yellow had found out what had happened to her people. Gold had simply accepted it, and for once, Red was glad that his brother could be so ignorant.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yellow said with a smile.

"Hey look at this." Gold had gotten impatient and wandered over to a pile of rubble to poke around. He drew what looked like a large stick from the debris, and Yellow gasped.

"An air glider!" She exclaimed.

"A what?" Red and Gold said simultaneously.

"Look." She replied, snatching the stick from Gold and tapping the end of it on the floor. Two wings sprang open with a whoosh.

"Oh, a glider for airbenders." Red muttered.

"Do you know how to work it, Avatar gal?" Gold asked.

"Of course!" Yellow cried eagerly, and jumped off the edge of the temple.

"WHA- HEY! YELLOW!" Red shrieked. Chuchu squeaked with glee and flew after the girl. Red heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her swooping upwards on the glider, perfectly safe. She did a few loopty loops and figure eights, and the brothers couldn't help but smile at her shouts of glee. She finally slowed, and landed next to Red, Chuchu zooming in to perch on her head. Pika hissed and Chuchu growled.

"Hey, calm down!" Yellow giggled, as she patted Chuchu on the head.

"Geez! What were you thinking? That thing's like one hundred years old! What if it didn't work?!" Red ranted.

"Calm down! I've used these before, I could tell that it was in good condition." Yellow assured him.

"You sound like an overprotective mother Red." Gold admonished, as he clapped his brother playfully on the back.

"Whatever." The older boy muttered as his face turned the color of his name.

"Ready?" Yellow inquired.

"Wait!" Gold yelped, "Can we please take the stairs this time?" Red nodded fiercely.

"Fine. They're over there," She said, indicating a decrepit stone staircase, "But I'm gonna fly!" And with that, she leapt into the air again and sped upwards to the lip of the cliff. Gold grabbed Red's hand and raced up the stairs. The firebenders emerged onto the grassy plains of the cliff once more, where Yellow was already waiting for them.

"That glider thing is fast. I really want one." Gold admitted. Yellow gave him a cheeky smile.

"Unfortunately for you, only airbenders can use them."

"Why?" Gold asked, "Is there some rule that says only airbenders can use them?"

"No, but they're controlled with airbending." Yellow replied.

"Oh."

"So, ehm, where are we going to go now?" Red interrupted. They stood in awkward silence.

"I've got it!" Gold suddenly broke the tension.

"Really?" Red and Yellow questioned in sync.

"No not really. The silence was just weird." Gold snorted. The other two sighed in exasperation. Gold's face suddenly lit up.

"LIsten! No, I seriously have an idea now!" Red riveted his attention on his brother.

"What is it?"

"We can go wherever we want right? So, why don't we go find mom? She could help us I bet! In her last letter she said she was in Omashu, didn't she?" Red looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, maybe so. Yellow? What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm planning on mastering all the elements and defeating the Fire Lord." She said casually, "I've already got a firebending teacher, so I don't care where we go as long as I can find one for either waterbending or earthbending. Besides, I know Omashu pretty well."

"It's decided then!" Red stated, "And for a waterbender, we can just go to the Northern Water tribe after Omashu! It's not far at all!"

"Yeah, not far by our _Fire Nation battleship_. They'll totally let us firebenders just stroll into the Northern Water Tribe." Gold said sarcastically.

"...Good point." Red admitted, "We need to ditch this thing and get a new ride. But hey, we're with the Avatar, so they'll help us out! ...Probably."

"Either way, let's get a move on. I'm sure they have people looking for us. I don't want to stay in one place for too long." Yellow said quietly.

"Okay, whoever gets to the first gets to be captain!" Gold shouted, and raced off. Red sighed. Yellow tapped her staff on the ground and and the wings snapped open. Then she sped off.

"No fair! Flying is cheating!" Gold yelled.

"I'm not flying! I'm gliding! There's a difference!" Yellow replied.

"Argh! You know what I mean!"

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The captain of prince Ruby's ship was a renowned sailor. He had been in charge of a vessel for a long while prior to meeting the prince, and had a reputation among all Fire Nation seagoers as the best there was. He had been a lieutenant in the Fire Nation navy, and was even skilled in creating lightning using his firebending. But that was before being handpicked by Fire Lord Giovanni to guide the young prince and take him where he wished. However, as many sailors are, he was quite the uncouth and dirty sort of fellow. Which did not put him in favor with Ruby. He avoided the boy as much as he could. But this was one of the times that he needed to talk to him. Mustering up as much manly courage as he could, the captain slowly made his way down the steps to the chambers below deck. He paused at the door to Ruby's room, and mentally slapped himself. The prince was just a boy! What was he afraid of? There was nothing to fear. Yeah, nothing..to…

The captain gulped.

"Oh good! Perfect timing Lt. Surge! I was about to send someone to fetch you!" Ruby said in a terrifying, business-like tone. Surge gulped again. The majority of the crew was lined up and standing stiffly to attention. The knees of the ones at the front of the line were knocking, and horror was creeping up their faces. Ruby was ushering members of the crew one by one behind a curtain, where the sounds of shrieks and running warm water were rending the air. Surge resisted the urge to scream shrilly. The prissy idiot prince was giving them _showers_. And even _worse_ , he was giving combing their hair, and presenting them with fresh outfits that _he had sewed_. No dignified man would ever wear something sewed by anyone (with the exception of mothers), especially not anything made by _another man_.

"I'm sorry captain, I was hoping that you wouldn't come in and be subject to this torture." The steersman whispered to Surge.

"He's gonna get rid of my dirt layer!" One man wailed, "Do you know how long it took to accumulate?!"

"What are you, an earthbender?" Ruby sighed in exasperation, "You're sailors, you practically live on the ocean, yet you're afraid of a _shower_? Ridiculous!" Ruby shook his head in pity.

"He's.. he's touching the _hair_." Another sailor whispered, and a shudder went through the group. It was a sacred law that nobody was to touch the hair. It took weeks to get a permanent, windblown hairdo, and anyone who messed with that was a monster.

"Especially you all from the engine room," Ruby ranted, "what exactly have you done to your clothes?! Disgusting!"

"U-umm.. worked with the engine.. sir?" One of the crew whose face was covered in oil piped up. Ruby gave him a withering glare.

"Well, I've already taken care of all my soldiers, I'll be done with everyone on the ship once I do you six." The prince wagged a finger in the direction of the remaining men. They shuddered. A newly-cleaned sailor wandered by looking forlorn, blubbering about how 'everybody would know that he had a fake tan now.' Surge cleared his throat.

"Er, prince Ruby.." Ruby turned to glance at him, wrinkling his nose at the upturned collar and smears of dirt. The captain bristled. Those smears were _on purpose_.

"Where are you planning to go next, sir? We don't have the Avatar's exact position as of now.." He trailed off uncertainly, hoping that Ruby was only prone to rage around Lance.

"Hmm.." Ruby stroked his chin pensively, "Can you hand me that map there?" He continued combing through a sniveling man's hair as he scanned it, brow furrowed in concentration. The captain had to admire the boy's skill, he could multitask as well as Surge's own mother.

"For starters, set up a blockade to the Northern Water Tribe."

"Huh? I mean, why?" Surge asked, clearly confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ruby sighed, and Surge had a sudden impulse to wring the kid's scrawny neck, "Because we're following the _Avatar_. The Avatar is probably trying to learn all of the elements, right?" The captain nodded stiffly.

"The Northern Water Tribe is very close, and a sure pick for anyone looking for a master in waterbending. Oh, and set a course for Omashu, will you?"

"Omashu?"

"Of course." Ruby sighed dramatically again, and Surge was hard put not to scream in rage, "The mother of those two traitors is based outside of the city, and I'm sure that will be their next destination."

"Alright." The captain saluted with difficulty, his arms tense with murderous intent, "I shall go set our course." Some of the men secretly gave him the thumbs up at his smooth escape.

"Wait." Ruby called, and Surge froze, "Make sure you set a camera up on deck will you? The sunset will begin soon, and I want to capture it at its height of beauty!" The prince's eyes sparkled. He nodded, and once more began sneaking out of the horrible room.

"Oh Surge, don't think you can escape this." Ruby said, as he pounced. A high-pitched scream filled the chamber.

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"Hm?" Gold grunted from the wheel.

"What is it?" Red questioned his brother, glancing up at him.

"There's an island up ahead." The younger boy grumbled.

"An island?" Yellow perked up from where she had been dozing.

"Let's dock there, we're running low on fuel anyway." Red suggested.

"Are you an idiot? 'Oh, let's just park our giant _Fire Nation_ battleship on an _Earth Kingdom_ island, I'm sure no one will mind.'" Red held his hands up defensively.

"Hey, I was just saying! We really do need fuel!"

"It's worth a shot." Yellow mused, and the boys looked at her, "I mean, you _do_ have the Avatar with you, that might just count for something."

"Let's just try it, Gold." Red tagged on.

"And you say _I'm_ the idiot." Gold muttered, but pointed the nose of the vessel towards the small speck of land anyway.

"Hey, I don't even know if there's anyone on this island." He said about half an hour later.

"What do you mean?" Red sat up straight.

"What do you mean, _captain_." Gold corrected.

"Oh, excuse me, _captain_."

"Hey, I won the race!" Gold pointed out.

"Technically, Yellow wo-"

Yellow was cheating. I'm captain."

"Fine. But what do you mean?" Gold glanced at him, "Captain.."

"I mean, I don't see anybody on the shore."

"There's people there." Yellow murmured sleepily.

"How do you know?" The firebenders said in sync.

"I just do."

"Weird Avatar stuff." Gold whispered to his brother, who nodded. With a sigh, the young boy pulled the large ship into the opening of the crescent shaped island. Red shook Yellow awake, and the small group unloaded, stepping onto the beach with more than a little trepidation. The buzzing silence greeted them.

"Welp, looks like I was right this time. No one here. Shame. Now, let's get back on the ship an-"

"No." Yellow said, cocking her ear and listening intently, "There's no noise."

"Uh, yeah, that's the point." Red said.

"No, I mean _no_ noise. Not even animals."

"Okay, so that's a bit strange, bu-" Gold attempted.

"No, not strange, it means that there's someone nearby-" She was abruptly cut off as several shadowy figures leapt from the trees where they had been hiding. Before any of the benders could react, they found themselves bound, gagged, and with their heads bagged, lying on the ground. Someone grabbed Gold by the collar, and he could hear their ragged breath against the burlap of the bag.

"Welcome to the island of Kyoshi, firebender." The voiced hissed.

 **A/N: Yes, so the Kyoshi island arc is next up! Any guesses for who Suki could be :)? If you know, don't tell! It's a secret XD! Hope you liked this chapter, and updates for this story might slow down to every two days, because I think I'm going to start working on other projects. Stay tuned! Reviews are appreciated, as always! You guys rock!**


	5. The Warriors

**Honestly, I don't know if the location of Kyoshi island is nearby Omashu, and if them running into it could even happen from their position, but heck, Author Powerrrrr! Enjoy chapter five!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

Gold gasped for breath as the stifling bag was whipped off of his head. The first thing he took in was not that his friends were lashed beside him, or that they were tied to was an enormous statue of a woman, no. The first thing that the young firebender noticed, was that the people standing in threatening stances all around them, were _girls_. Their faces were white and the area above their eyes red with makeup, and they were wearing matching green armored kimonos with headbands of a matching color. All of them were holding metal fans, and a few were fingering the hilts of katanas. Despite their intimidating appearance, they were all drop-dead gorgeous. As soon as one ripped the gag away from his mouth, he turned on the charm.

"Well, hello ladies." He flashed them an irresistible smile, and flipped his bangs out of his eyes. Their frowns didn't budge. One of them with a particularly intense glare, a gold headdress and blue pigtails that seemed to defy the laws of gravity kicked him in the face.

"Don't talk to me like that, firebender!" She spat. Red inferred that she was probably the leader.

"Now now, Crystal, calm down. They haven't done anything wrong yet." An older man in a lab coat who had gone unnoticed stepped out from behind some of the other girls. His hair was spiky, but noticeably graying. His face was lined, and he gave the three benders the kindest (not to mention only) smile Gold had ever received from anyone in the Earth Kingdom.

"Please Professor Oak, they're firebenders. Their don't deserve good treatment."

"Well, someone's biased." Gold whispered to Red.

"You shut up!" One of the girls said to Gold.

"Hey, I was just trying to make friendly conversation." Gold shrugged.

"I've had enough. Let's throw them to the Unagi." Another girl huffed. Crystal nodded in agreement.

"Wait, what?!" Red cried, "You haven't even heard our side of the story yet!"

"He's right Crys, let them speak." The old man called Oak said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"You expect me to believe anything they say after showing up here in a _Fire Nation battleship_?!" She shouted.

"I told you we needed to get rid of the ship earlier." Gold muttered to Red.

"Hey look, Crystal right? We have a perfectly good explanation for all of this." Red said calmly.

"And what's that?" She stepped closer to him.

"U-umm, well we're with the Avatar see-"

"The Avatar?! Don't make me laugh! Who out of you three could be the Avatar?" Crystal scoffed.

"Her." Gold nodded towards Yellow, who flushed slightly as all attention focused on her.

"Hi." She said in a small voice.

"You expect me to believe that that tiny little girl is the Avatar." Crystal said in a monotone. A few of the other girls sniggered.

"Well, yeah." Red replied.

"I'm not that tiny!" Yellow shouted.

"Throw them to the Unagi!" Crystal ordered, and a few of the girls moved forward.

"Crys, you don't have a good reason to condemn them yet-" Oak cut in.

"They're firebenders! That's reason enough!" Crystal snapped.

"What's the Unagi?!" Gold asked in a panicky voice as one of them pulled out her katana and advanced towards him with a terrifying grin.

"Oh, just the giant, man-eating eel that lives in our gulf." She smiled. Red shuddered. The ropes restraining them were slit, but their wrists were still tightly bound. Red stumbled and felt the sharp prick of a weapon at his back.

"Start walking firebender." A voice growled from behind him. He started walking. Suddenly, there was a cry from behind him. Red and his captor whipped around in time to see Yellow launch herself into the air over the giant statue and snap the rope around her wrists on a protruding wooden piece from the statue's head. She came down to earth slowly, her clothes flapping in the wind. She then turned to the huge effigy and bowed.

"I apologize for my crude use of your headdress, Avatar Kyoshi." She said to the statue, that, now that Red got a proper look at it, was a woman dressed in the same garb as the girls in front of him.

"You-you really are the Avatar!" Oak gasped, "My sincerest apologies! Girls release the Avatar's friends immediately!" With some grumbling, the rope around the two firebenders' wrists were severed as well. Crystal threw one of her fans to the ground and stormed off in a foul temper. The other warriors dispersed.

"Man, she really wanted to kill us didn't she.." Gold asked Oak.

"She despises firebenders." He nodded sadly.

"I could see that." Red agreed, rubbing his wrists where the rope had chafed them.

"It was firebenders who killed her parents you know." The professor sighed.

"That's terrible!" Yellow gasped.

"Yes, well it's happened to a lot of us on this island. I lost my son, his wife, and even my little grandson to them. This island has remained neutral thus far, and is seen as a safe haven equal to even Ba Sing Se by many people."

"I-if firebenders took your family… then why did you help us?" Red asked slowly.

"Just because somebody is from the Fire Nation does not mean that they are evil. There are people with dark hearts in every country, as well as those with innocent and impressionable ones. I believe everyone should be given a chance, especially the children, who have yet to formulate their own opinions on the world. Besides, they didn't take everyone! I have a lovely young granddaughter." He smiled kindly at them, and the small group was lost for words.

"I can see that you three aren't the evil type, so how would you like to come over to my lab for some tea and snacks? Daisy bakes a killer chocolate cake!"

"Absolutely!" Gold answered for them. The three benders traipsed along behind the aging professor through a small town that was situated on a sloping hill. There were only around twelve houses in total, six on either side of a path leading up to the hill's peak on which a large building with a triangular roof and many windows resided.

"This is the town hall. My lab is a little further back." He explained, and took a trail that went around the town hall. It led them over a bridge with a ridiculously high arch to a quaint little cottage in the shadow of a large tree. Upon closer inspection, Yellow realized that it was an oak tree.

"Here we are!" Oak told them, as he unlatched and opened the door, "Daisy, I've brought some guests over!"

"Oh hello there, my name is Daisy! I help my grandfather with his research! Would you like some chocolate cake?" A smiling young woman with long hair and a tear-shaped pendant around her neck greeted the three benders.

"Hello! I'm Red, this is my little brother Gold, and this is Yellow, the-"

"The Avatar right?" Daisy giggled at their shocked expressions, "It's a small island. News travels fast." She shoved the three of them onto a comfortable sofa, and passed out plates with slices of cake on them. She then politely excused herself to finish writing a paper.

"So, what kind of research do you do, professor?" Yellow questioned.

"I mainly study bending. And of course the relationship between benders and non benders, and how bending affects our lives and permits progress…" He began to go off on a tangent.

"Okay, cool. Bending." Gold interrupted, before the professor got out of hand, "By the way, were those girls who caught us benders?"

"Oh, the Kyoshi warriors?" Oak laughed, "No, they're not benders. With the exception of Crystal. However, they're formidable opponents, and should not be underestimated."

"That hot- I mean, that girl Crystal is a bender?"

"She is indeed. As well as the leader of the Kyoshi warriors."

"You seem to have a pretty good relationship with her Oak, you call her 'Crys' and all." Gold continued.

"I did tell you about her parents, yes? Well, she works as another assistant of mine. She's almost like a second granddaughter to me!" The old man chuckled, not offended in the least by the lack of his proper title in the youth's words.

"A bender? What element?" Yellow asked curiously.

"Earth." The professor answered, "She has quite a unique method of blending the Kyoshi warriors style with her own peculiar brand of earthbending." Yellow glanced at Red excitedly.

"Peculiar brand..?" Gold pressed.

"Well, it has a lot to do with kicking.. It's quite impressive to watch." The older man continued.

"Hmm… Oak! Where can I find her now?!" Gold asked excitably.

"She's probably at the orphanage at the moment…" Before he could finish, the boy was out the door.

"Oh dear.." Sighed Red. Yellow and Oak gave him questioning looks.

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Gold sat comfortably on a wide branch in a large tree, and spied on the girl called Crystal. It seemed that she had removed the makeup from her face, and instead of her kimono, was now dressed in a simple skirt and jacket, with an apron strapped on top. She was sweeping the steps of a building, and keeping an eye on four or five kids that were playing ball.

"Miss Crys! Do that special kicky thing!" One of them shouted.

"Alright then!" She said cheerily.

Gold watched with great interest as she leaned the broom against the wall, and walked over to where the children were scampering about. Taking the ball from the young boy, she tossed it lightly into the air, spun around, and given it a massive kick. Gold blinked. If he hadn't seen it himself, he probably wouldn't have believed how far the ball went.

"Whoaaaa!" The kids exclaimed, and Gold silently agreed.

"Alright guys, it's lunchtime! I'm sure Earl has something tasty ready for you, so don't let it get cold!" Crystal told them, and they ran into the house, jostling and squealing. Crystal breathed a sigh and picked up her broom again. Gold took the chance to slip down the trunk of the tree.

"Hi." He said, and she nearly jumped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed once she realized who had spoken.

"Oh, I dunno, just checking the island out." He said, waving his hand vaguely.

"Well, you can go check out _that_ part of the island, over _there_." Crystal growled, gesturing pointedly to the opposite side of town, "What?" She asked, when she noticed that Gold was staring intently at her face.

"I was just noticing how pretty you are without all that makeup on." Gold stated. Crystal kicked him in the face.

"Owch! Geez!" Gold cried, clutching his nose, "Why do you take everything so seriously? Super serious gal."

"What did you just call me?!" She demanded.

"Super serious ga- that annoys you, doesn't it?" Gold grinned.

"I swear kid, I will kick you in the face so har-"

"Gold."

"What?"

"My name. It's Gold. So don't call me kid."

"Only if you don't call me super serious gal."

"On second thought, call me kid all you like." Gold said with a smirk. Crystal kicked out at his face again, but this time he ducked.

"Y'know, you treat those little guys really well. They're pretty lucky to have you around."

"Don't expect the same for you, firebender."

"What's your problem with firebenders?"

"The professor told you already, didn't he? You monsters killed my family!" She spat, "So stay away!"

"That Oak guy should've told _you_ super serious gal," The girl flinched at the nickname, "just cuz I'm a firebender doesn't make me some kinda monster. We're not all like the Fire Lord y'know."

"I don't care. Fire is dangerous. You're dangerous. Just stay away from me and these kids." With that, she spun around, threw open the door, and slammed it in his face. Gold sat down on the ground, thinking. A couple minutes later, the young boy who had asked Crystal to kick the ball came outside and noticed Gold sitting there.

"Hello." He said with a large grin.

"Oh, hi." Gold acknowledged.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you one of those firebenders that the Kyoshi warriors captured?"

"..Yep."

"Aren't they so cool? And so strong! An' Ms. Crys's the best one of 'em all!"

"Yeah.." Gold said, his expression hard to read, "Say kid, what's your name?"

"Evan."

"Evan. If somebody around here was to do something really dangerous, but also really cool, what would they do?" Gold asked suddenly.

"Umm, prolly try'n ride the Unagi or somethin'."

"Where is this Unagi thing?"

"It's in the bay where you guys parked your big ship! You aren't going to try'n ride it are you?"

"Psh, oh no, of course not. Who would do something like that?" Gold assured him, as he ran off towards the bay. Evan stared at his retreating back, before turning and running into the house.

"Ms. Crys?" He said, tugging on the hem of her apron, "I think that Fire Nation guy is gonna go ride the Unagi." Crystal dropped the plate she was holding.

"That idiot!" She screamed in rage. She tore the apron off from around her waist and rushed out the door, followed by a mass of curious children from the orphanage.

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A knock sounded on the front door of the professor's house. He stood with a quick apology to Red and Yellow, and opened it.

"Oh, hello Evan! what brings you over here?" He asked with mild surprise.

"I was just comin' to tell you professor, but one of those crazy firebenders is gonna try to ride the Unagi."

"What?!" Oak shrieked.

"Gold's going to do what?! Take me there!" Red shouted, shoving through the door and grabbing Evan's arm on the way out. Yellow whipped out a small white whistle that was in the shape of a flying bison, and blew on it. No sound came out, but within seconds, the exciting yipping of Chuchu could be heard. Pika the lemur was gliding along behind the excitable baby bison, and it seemed that he had finally accepted her as the leader.

"I'm sorry professor, but could you watch these two for us? Thanks!" Yellow directed over her shoulder as her glider snapped open and she took to the skies.

"Oh.. sure thing." Oak said to thin air.

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Gold flashed the waiting crowd a smile as he took the first step into the cold water of Kyoshi. Daisy had been correct when she had told them that news travelled fast on the tiny island, half of the population was standing on the beach watching him.

 _Perfect. She'll have to come watch me like this._ Gold thought to himself, and smirked. He gave a wink to a group of girls standing off to the side and giggling, and they shrieked with laughter, jumping and waving to him. He felt a small wave lap against his leg, and took another step forward. Then he dived into the swells, and came up spitting water and brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes. He gave the shore another small wave (earning more screams from the small group of fangirls), and began cutting through the water with strong strokes. It really was lucky that he spent a lot of time on Ember Island, many individuals from the Fire Nation didn't have the faintest idea of how to swim. He seemed to far enough from the shore now, and began to tread water, waiting for something to happen. He suddenly noticed three figures rushing out of the break in the trees and down to the shore line. He realized that they were Red, Yellow, and Crystal. Gold did a small fist pump at his plan's success.

"Get out of there, idiot! Do you know what the Unagi will do to you?!" Crystal's voice floated over the waves. He gave a cheeky wave, and didn't budge.

 _It's not like I can't take this Unagi thing out with bending. Anyway, how big could it possibly be?_ He thought. He got his answer when a large fan-like fin surfaced three feet from his face.

The rest of the Unagi's head emerged from beneath the water, and Gold was faced with a huge green eye. The water of the bay began to churn as an enormous serpent with spikes running along it's back hissed at him with a huge red maw. Gold couldn't help but notice its rows of sharp teeth. The eel itself was black, with stripes of yellow along its neck. There was also two curious whiskers hanging from above its mouth. Gold privately thought to himself that he was probably going to die.

"Gold! Get back here!" Red cried, and Yellow launched herself into the air on her glider. The giant eel turned its head towards the shouts from the beach, and saw the small airbender flying to Gold's aid. In one fluid movement, the serpent's mouth dropped open, and a surge of water rushed out, hitting the Avatar in midair, and sending her crashing back onto shore.

"Yellow!" Red screamed, torn between running to her aid, and diving into the water to save his little brother. He was saved from his decision as Crystal dashed forward. With a swift movement of her arms, a large boulder rose from the ground. She spun and kicked it as she had done with the ball, and it struck the Unagi in the mouth. Enraged, the beast screeched and opened its mouth for another blast of water. A second rock smashed into its jaw, and Gold tossed a fireball into its eye from his position in the water. The giant eel thrashed in pain, sending waves crashing into the shore. Gold gasped as the massive tail of the serpent rose from beneath him and tossed him into the air. He fell and hit the water with a painful smack. Consciousness began to elude him, and his vision swam.

"You idiot!" A voice yelled in his ear, and he suddenly realized that a pair of arms was grasping him and pulling him through the water. It was Crystal. The Unagi seemed to notice that its quarry was making a getaway, and through its haze of pain, lunged at the two benders struggling in the ocean. With a swift motion, Crystal tossed one of the Kyoshi warriors' metal fans at the beats, and it sunk into the flesh below its already damaged eye. With a hissing screech, the Unagi sunk beneath the waves. Crystal gasped as she hauled Gold up the beach, dimly noticing that the other townsfolk had fled the scene at the sight of the monster. Gold's eyes fluttered. She shoved down on his stomach, and he coughed up water.

"Crystal…" He gasped. She was leaning over him.

"What." She growled. He jerked upwards, and his lips met hers. With a startled yelp, she pulled away, and kicked him in the face.

"You idiot firebender!" She screamed, and stormed away, leaving Gold lying in his soaking clothes, utterly bewildered.

 **A/N: If y'all don't remember junior trainer Evan, well, he made an appearance didn't he! So, sparks flying in chapter five! Hope you enjoyed it, and sorry about this update coming a day late, my family is beginngin to do stuff this summer. Oh yes, and the Chicago Blackhawks have a chance to win the Stanley Cup in tomorrow's game! So exciting! Yes, I'm a Blackhawks fan, and sorry if you guys don't care about hokcey, but I had to say it cuz I love hockey! Reviews are appreciated, as always! :)**


	6. The Genius Plan

**Okay, got a few things to say. First of all, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup! WOOHOO! Okay, second thing. I'm SO SORRY that this chapter took so long! I'm visiting cousins and this chapter was hard and.. Okay, no more excuses. But it's here now! So I hope you guys like it! Last thing, I got a Deviantart! Yay! And even though my pictures aren't super amazing, I'm drawing what everybody from this story looks like over there! (Hopefully you'll be able to picure Chuchu a little better after seeing the pic of her, Jaime206 XD!) It's under the same username that I'm using here, so I hope you guys'll take a look!**

 **And without further ado, here's chapter six!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokémon Adventures/Special manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

The day after the ordeal with the Unagi, Gold's spirits didn't seem to have been dampened in the slightest, despite his sorta-kinda-rejection by Crystal. The reason could probably be attributed to the fact that he had not given up, and had continuously visited her at the Warrior's training dojo, orphanage, and the professor's lab. It might have also been due to being tailed by a devoted group of ten fangirls, who were all under the impression that he was _brave_ for trying, failing, and almost dying in the attempt to riding a giant, man-eating eel. Red did not approve.

"It's gonna go to his head.. what am I going to _do_?" He continually groaned to himself, and Yellow sympathised. Their hot-headed friend already got into too much trouble over girls, and the addition of fangirls who encouraged him into stupid acts was not a good thing. He wasn't the only one though, Yellow had people hanging off of her and begging her to show them airbending whenever she set foot in the town. There was even one terrifying man named Tucker who wore an awful...leotard..thing, foamed at the mouth and collapsed every time she happened by. It was pretty disturbing. However, she seemed much better at ignoring them than Gold was.

As she strolled into town, Yellow caught sight of Gold in the branches of a large tree and assumed that he was waiting for Crystal to walk past. Unfortunately, some of the fangirls had also seen him.

"Goooooldiiiiiie~" One of his horrible fangirls whined, "you're so manly and strong, come down and give me a piggyback ride!" He obeyed, and Yellow gagged at the sickening sight. She noticed Crystal and a group from the orphanage making their way down the town's only road, and anticipated Crystal blowing up and beating the snot out of Gold. Contrary to Yellow's expectations however, Crystal glared frostily ahead, and completely ignored Gold and his pack of girls.

"Hey, wait up Crys!" He called, dropping the girl who was on his shoulders to the ground and running towards the bluenette.

"Don't call me that." She snapped.

"Why not? The prof. calls you Crys."

"You aren't the professor!" She yelled, walking faster in an attempt to lose him. When he continued to pursue her, she kicked him in the chest. Then she stormed off, leaving him to sit in the dust.

"Gold you meeeeaaaaanieeee! You dropped me!" The girl he had dumped unceremoniously on the ground said, whacking him on the back of the head.

"Sorry Whitney." He grumbled, rubbing the spot grumpily.

"What's the big deal with her anyway?" Whitney huffed, "I mean sure, she's the leader of a group of warriors and can earthbend, but it's not like she has much of a way with looks. And she doesn't care about you at all, unlike all of us." She winked meaningfully.

"I know, I get it." Gold waved at her, clearly paying no heed to her words, "Hey, do you know how to become a Kyoshi Warrior?" He asked.

"It's _easy_. The warriors are really no big deal." One of the fangirls cut in, and the rest nodded.

"Well, how?" Gold said impatiently.

"You just ask them to teach you, and go through a lil' bit of preliminary training." Whitney scoffed, "It's just so _easy_." Gold nodded sagely.

"Hmm. Thanks for telling me." He said, and dashed away from them as fast as he could go. They screamed in distress and tried to pursue him. Yellow, intrigued by this turn of events, ran after Gold, and had caught up within seconds.

"Oh hey. Can you help me lose them?" He nodded over his shoulder to the crowd chasing them.

"Yep." Yellow replied, and sent a powerful breeze at the ground, raising a cloud of dust, "Why the sudden change of heart? I thought you liked all of the attention?"

"Gets a bit tiring sometimes." Gold shrugged, "Besides, I wanna join the Kyoshi Warriors!"

"I'm sure Crystal will be thrilled." Yellow groaned.

"Of course she will, she knows she can't resist me." Gold gave Yellow his most irrepressible smile.

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Crystal allowed herself a long sigh of relief as she donned her warrior's garb. She was finally rid of him, if only for a few short hours. Training in the dojo had become her only safe haven, seeing as the idiot firebender had decided to stalk her at the orphanage, lab, and anywhere else she happened to be. He was so stupid, and all the other girls on the island being hoaxed into thinking he was _handsome_ for some reason had only made it worse. Now his arrivals were usually punctuated by the awful shrieks and noises only emitted by crazed fangirls. Thankfully, she concoluded as she ran a brush coated in white makeup across her face, he wasn't allowed in here. This dojo was a sacred place, and only members of the Kyoshi Warriors were allowed in.

Crystal took a deep gulp of air to calm herself. Then she walked into the main room of the dojo, completely composed. Before screaming in rage at the sight of Gold waving cheerily at her from the center of the other warriors.

"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING HERE?!" She screeched, rushing forward with a flying double kick.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! WAIT!" He yelled in terror, raising his hands placatingly and ducking, "This is all a big misunderstanding!"

"You're the one who's misunderstanding!" Crystal raged, "Only members of the Kyoshi Warriors are allowed in here!"

"I know!" He grinned.

"Then.. WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" She managed, her face nearly purple beneath the heavy layer of makeup.

"'Cuz I joined the Kyoshi Warriors, duh." He answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A few of the other warriors giggled. Crystal's face felt dangerously hot, and she was positive that steam had erupted from her ears at Gold's words.

"What."

"I said tha-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID." She seethed, and began to hyperventilate slightly. Then remembered something.

"You can't!" She crowed triumphantly, "You can't join us! You're a _boy_!"

"So?" He gave a maddening shrug.

"We don't allow boys in here. Now get lost." She meaningfully jabbed towards the door.

"Aw c'mon Crys," One of the warriors intervened, "Why can't you let him join?" Crystal stared in blank shock at the girl.

"W-w-wha.. wha.." Crystal tried, but couldn't get her mouth to form the words. Gold flashed her a wide smile, which didn't help whatsoever. In the end she gestured for the girl to come with her as she retreated to the locker room.

"Maylene.. What?!" Crystal asked incredulously. She had truly hoped that the idiocy of fangirling over such an incompetent _firebender_ had been limited to only the girls of the village, and not to her warriors. It didn't look like it.

"Look Crys, I know what you're thinking, but that's not it." Crystal simply stared, so Maylene continued, "Think about it this way, you'll have to train him, so it might be a good chance to get revenge and give us all a laugh, huh?" Crystal mulled it over for a second, and then an evil grin spread across her face.

"Maylene, I should have never doubted you."

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Gold started to feel a little nervous about his genius plan when Crystal came back into the main room of the dojo with a smile of pure malignance creased across her face. She was followed by the pink-haired one named Maylene, who had a bandage across the bridge of her nose. She looked kinda like Whitney, but considerably tougher. Gold briefly wondered why so many girls on Kyoshi island had pink hair, but was shaken from his thoughts when Crystal spoke.

"Fine. You can join."

"Wait, seriously?!" Gols gasped.

"Yep. But you have to follow all of our traditions."

"Uh duh." Gold replied, "I'mma member now, so of course."

"Good. And I mean _all_ of them." Crystal smiled nastily as she tossed something green and _dress-y_ at him.

"Um, what's this?" Gold asked, gingerly holding the thing.

"It's the traditional outfit of a Kyoshi Warrior." Maylene explained, obviously making an effort not to laugh.

"As in.. the dresses that you guys are wearing?"

"Yep." Crystal said, with a barely suppressed smile.

"Okay then." Gold said agreeably, pulling the kimono on over his normal clothes. Crystal narrowed her eyes in disappointment. It wasn't the reaction that she had been hoping for.

"Anything else?" He questioned, and Crystal immediately nodded.

"The makeup." She answered quickly. Gold sighed dramatically.

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yes." She said fiercely.

"Why? What does it even symbolise?" He groaned.

"The silk threads on the headband represent the brave blood that flows through our veins, and the gold insignia symbolizes courage."

"Bravery and courage huh?" He pondered.

"Yes. So you really shouldn't be wearing them." Crystal muttered.

"Ouch." He winced, "but that still doesn't explain the makeup."

"I dunno, tradition." She shrugged, then approached him with the supplies. He squirmed a bit as she applied the makeup, but as soon as she finished, he hopped up and flashed her that annoying grin of his.

"So, where do we start super serious gal?"

"Don't call me that!" She hissed. Just then Yellow appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, hello! I was just wondering if you'd seen my friend Gold. He said he was going to try and join you an- Gold? Is that you?" Yellow asked incredulously, catching sight of her companion, "Are you wearing a _kimono_?"

"Yep. It looks good on me, doesn't it?" He struck a pose, and Yellow (along with more than a few of the warriors) couldn't help but laugh. The airbender gave her friend a thumbs-up, then strolled off to find Red and practice her firebending, which hadn't progressed very far.

"I was thinking that we should have a sparring match, just to test your level of ability." Crystal growled angrily, and grabbed Gold by the collar (which seemed to happen to him quite often).

"Fine by me super serious gal!"

"I told you not to call me that!" Crystal roared. She dragged Gold to a spot on the floor, ordered him to stand there, then walked a little further and turned to face him. Drawing in a deep breath, she forced the calm back into her mind. She closed her eyes momentarily, and let the anger and frustration seep away.

Gold took a half step backwards, unnerved by the sudden change in Crystal's mood. Her eyes snapped open, and seemed to have a hardness to them that they didn't previously. He gulped.

"Let's begin." Crystal said cooly. Gold rushed at her with his arms flung wide. She stepped to the side slightly, grabbed his outstretched arm, and pivoted. Gold exhaled sharply as he hit the ground and had the breath knocked out of him.

"Is that all you got?" She sneered.

"Not quite." Gold panted, and kicked out from his position on the floor, knocking Crystal off her feet. With a small shriek, she tumbled to the floor as Gold leapt up. She got up slowly, struggling to maintain her collected demeanor as she was faced with Gold's grin. He lunged again, but this time dodged the oncoming grab and crashed into her. They both went flying and sprawled on the floor of the dojo. Crystal shoved Gold off of her angrily, the calm mask that she had created for herself shattered. She kicked harshly at him, and he stumbled to his feet, a hand clamped to his sore side.

"Dangit," He muttered, "now you've done it. I really wanna win this super serious gal." And his hand lit up with flames. Crystal's eyes widened.

"You DARE use firebending against me?!" She screeched, and the wooden floor of the dojo splintered as a huge boulder emerged.

"Hey guys, we're still inside y'know.." Maylene said weakly, but the two benders paid her no heed.

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Blaine cautiously rapped his knuckles on the door to the prince's chambers. There was no reply.

"Prince Ruby, I know you're in there. I'm coming in." There was still no reply, so Blaine took it as consent and shoved the door open. Ruby was sitting crosslegged on the bed and stitching together yet another one of his strange white hats.

"You really should practice your firebending some more m'lord." Blaine said softly, placing a hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Why would I?" Ruby asked haughtily, "Fighting is such a disgusting waste of time. I'm much better off doing something useful."

"Well I hope that includes hunting the Avatar." Blaine sighed.

"Why? Do you have news about her?" Ruby raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"I do indeed."

"What is it?" Ruby finally looked up from his project.

"There has been a sighting of a lone Fire Navy battleship off the coast of Kyoshi island."

"Hmm, I knew that ship would be conspicuous. Set a course for Kyoshi then."

"Of course m'lord." Blaine bowed, "But we are facing the Avatar. You should really practice your bending."

"...I'd rather not. But I'm sure you'll leave me with no alternative." Ruby sighed, "By the way, what are we riding ashore?"

"The rhinos."

"Ugh!" Ruby wrinkled his nose, "Those huge smelly brutes? Don't we have anything at least slightly more glamorous?"

"Unfortunately not." Blaine answered, trying to hide his smile as the young prince fumed.

"Why?! What a disaster! I'm left with no other choice but to try and make them look slightly less grotesque! But I doubt even my level of expertise can save a creature so brutish and disgusting. I've finished with this at least." He grumbled, setting down the newly made hat.

"Prince Ruby," Blaine said gently, "you've forgotten the Fire Nation insignia." Ruby glanced down at the hat sitting in his lap.

"...I hadn't forgotten." He whispered.

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"That's it, it all comes from the breath. Exhale on three. One, two.. Three!" Red shouted, and both he and Yellow threw their fists forward. A stream of flame shot from Red's hand, but nothing came from Yellow's.

"Gah! I still can't do it!" Yellow sighed, and flopped onto her back.

"Oh come on, you just started practicing! You can't expect to master it in a day!" Red chuckled.

"Yeah, but it's so hard! It's nothing like airbending. It feels so wrong." Yellow grumbled from her position on the ground.

"Giving up already?" Red asked, shaking his head.

"Who said I was giving up?" Yellow leapt up indignantly, "I was just saying it's hard to learn a new element. Maybe it'd be easier to learn waterbending or earthbending first..?" She was rudely interrupted from her thoughts as Pika jumped on her head. He chattered at her and ignored her attempts to stroke his long ears.

"What's wrong Pika?" She inquired, concerned.

"Red! Yellow!" A voice shouted, and professor Oak dashed into the clearing that they were practicing in.

"Oh hello prof-"

"No time for formalities! Come quickly! Both of you! It's a disaster!" He panted, hands on his knees. Red and Yellow exchanged alarmed looks and then followed as Oak regained his breath and rushed off yet again.

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Crystal and Gold were outside. Mostly because half of the dojo was smashed, and the other half smoldering. They were facing each other, both breathing raggedly. Crys had a very large boulder kick-ready and floating in front of her, while Gold brandished his flaming fists. With a roar they both fired. A fireball rushed at Crystal's face and she was barely able to fend it off with a wall of earth as the boulder she had kicked whooshed past Gold, narrowly missing him. They both panted and stared at each other. Then Gold gave her that infuriating smirk of his, and she snapped. With a roar, she strained and slowly raised her hands above her head. The remains of the dojo trembled as the chunk of earth it rested on broke free and slowly rose. The grin slid off of Gold's face as the monstrous floating piece of dirt hovered above his head.

"You should admit defeat. You really should." Crystal groaned under the effort of keeping the dojo aloft.

"Yeah, I should. I should just give up," Gold muttered, and Crystal smirked, "and if you believe that, then you don't know me very well!" Gold shouted, sticking his tongue out. Crystal screeched in anger.

"Wait! Crys, stop!" A voice said, and both benders whipped around to see who had interrupted their 'sparring match.' It was Daisy Oak.

"Stop it, both of you! What do you think you're doing?" They were both lost for words, "Well nevermind. We have much bigger problems at the moment! Fire Nation soldiers have landed on the island!"

"I don't suppose they're friendly firebenders who have seen the evils of the Fire Nation and seek refuge..?" Gold asked hopefully.

"Apparently they're led by Prince Ruby!" Daisy continued.

"Shoot." Gold sighed. He glanced over at Crystal, who had thankfull put the chunk of ground back down, and noticed that her eyes had reverted back to the mask of hard focus. He shuddered slightly, and almost felt bad for the Fire Nation soldiers that dared try and invade the island of the super serious gal in front of him.

 **Crystal's a tough customer. Anyways, not much to say about this chapter. Hope you liked it! And I assure you, the next chapter will definitely not take nearly two weeks to come out. O-O That was too long. Reviews are appreciated, as always! (And I will continue to draw the characters over on dA!)**


	7. The Ambush

**Ahh! I'm sorry for the wait, I know it's been over a week and a half since I last updated! Can I make it up to you with a 4,600 word chapter? Also, I'm gonna reply to some reviews here, because I can, and it's fun, and I dunno why I've never done it before XD**

 **Zero Slash One: Thank you! I'm glad you think my story is well-executed! Sometimes I feel like my story is too rushed, or even too dragged out, but I'm glad you think that! Thank you for thinking that I did some of the characters right! I actually agree with you on some of the casting, but I have my reasons for every character being who they are, so you will have to wait and see and hopefully agree with what I'm doing! (Oh, and Crystal's more playing Suki's part than Toph's, but I guess it could go wither way huh?)**

 **pikaree1 (Petal!): Huh, I guess pitting Gold and Crystal together would beat everything that gets caught in the crossfire! Those two have violent fights!**

 **Guribu Fan: Thank you! I'm glad you like my pictures! I am going to draw more (and I'll draw Gold in the Kyoshi Warriors outfit too XD), but I'm glad you like the ones I've got so far! I hope you like this chapter too, even though there is more MQS. (By the way, is it Guribu, or Guriburu? Cuz it keeps changing back and forth, and I'm not sure which one is right! :P)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga**

Ruby clambered down into the bowels of the ship behind captain Surge. Below the deck it was dank and steamy, and moisture crept down the walls. The heat only rose as every soldier on the ship tramped down the stairs in single file behind the prince, sweat trickling down their faces behind the skull masks. Ruby himself was delicately patting his forehead with a handkerchief to rid it of any liquid. He pulled a face as the smell of manure and animals reached his nose. Absolutely disgusting. Keeping animals on a ship, what was the Fire Nation thinking? It was ludicrous. And out of all the animals they could have, it had to be komodo rhinos. The largest, smelliest, and most importantly, ugliest mounts that the whole world had to offer. He glanced over the steeds, and took in the unnecessarily long horns, tiny reptilian eyes, five-toed feet, and snaking tail. Not fabulous. Not in the slightest. Surge shoved his way through the cramped and stuffy room to the shelves the made up the far wall, and began passing saddles back. Every soldier available was riding onto the island. Ruby was not about to let his quarry get away for the second time. The riders tossed the two-person saddles over the backs of their mounts as their partners fastened red helmets over the heads of the beasts. Blaine made ready the one that he and the prince would be riding, as Ruby looked on with distaste.

"Must I really?" He complained, and Blaine gave him a curt nod.

"Unless you'd rather walk, which is unfitting for the prince of the Fire Nation."

"Stop trying to guilt trip me with that. It doesn't work." The prince said petulantly.

"In that case I won't give you any choice in the matter. Yes, you must." Blaine answered, not looking up from tightening the girth of the saddle about the rhino's middle. Ruby gave a dramatic sigh, and slowly, being sure to make the disgust on his face clear, clambered up onto the rhino. The rest of the soldiers followed suit. A tremor ran through the boat, followed by a grinding screech as the hull scraped along the shore. A sailor rushed down the stairs.

"We've landed!" He shouted. Blaine nodded in his direction.

"Prepare to ride! They're sure to be expecting us, so be on guard!" He called, and the soldiers saluted. Ruby sank poutily into the saddle.

"Grab hold of me, m'lord, we don't want you falling off now." Blaine softly told the pouting prince, and the great pointed bow of the ship fell open with a hiss and clank of chains, creating a ramp.

"I'm not gonna fall off." Ruby sulked, and crossed his arms just to prove it. Blaine heaved a sigh and cracked the reins of his steed. It snorted and trundled forward, followed by the others.

"There seems to be something bothering you." He whispered to his young charge.

"Well, I _am_ sitting on something quite revolting-" Ruby began with a huff.

"No, I mean other than that. I'm talking about our earlier conversation."

"What, about me making the rhinos look better? Like I thought, even my level of expertise is useless in the face of them. I took one look and gave up."

"Not that either," Blaine replied patiently, "I simply observed that you seemed quite upset at that hat you were making. Especially when I mentioned the insignia."

"...Well you should know why Blaine. As long as my situation is this precarious, of course I'll be bothered by it. All I need to do to fix it is capture the Avatar." Ruby answered quietly.

"Prince Ruby-"

"Anyway," Ruby continued in a louder voice, "our first order of business to to rid the Avatar of any means of escape. Destroy that ship!" He pointed at the smaller vessel that was beached next to his own, and the soldiers saluted yet again. A few of them tossed grappling hooks over the railings, and clambered up the ropes attached to them to the deck. Others tied the trailing ends of the ropes to a few barrels of blasting jelly. The ones on the ship hauled the explosives up, and rolled them down the stairs and into the ship's depths, being sure to leave the long fuses trailing behind. Then they quickly rappelled down the sides of the ship, the last one shooting a thin stream of flame at the fuse before following his companions. Ruby signalled Blaine, and he tugged on the reins, turning the rhino around and moving forward as the ship exploded behind them, the fiery arc of flames and debris cleaving the evening air.

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"Didja hear that?" Gold asked as the ground shook and the air split with the unmistakable sound of an enormous explosion.

"I don't need to hear it idiot, I can _see_ it. Look." Crystal hissed, grabbing his head and forcing him to look into the sky.

"Oh. Wait... Sozin's _beard_ I bet that's our ship!" He yelped, realizing the situation, "How're we going to leave this place?!"

"That sounds like a you problem, not a me problem. Get down, here they come!" Crystal growled, animosity oozing from her voice. They were crouching in the lowest branches of a tree that was on the side of the town's path. Crystal had rushed there immediately after Daisy had notified them of the incoming Fire Nation troops, and ordered her warriors to prepare for an ambush. Unfortunately, Gold had followed her, and before she could tell him to get lost, or just kick him out of the tree, the explosion happened.

"Sooo.. what's the plan?" Gold whispered.

"Beat them up before they can set foot in our village. And keep them from the Avatar. That's what they're after, right?" Gold nodded in confirmation.

"And you're gonna work with me?" Gold asked.

"You're a member of the Kyoshi warriors aren't you? And you have people you want to protect too." Crystal said softly, "But if you get in my way I will treat you the same as the ones invading my island." She finished, with a more forbidding tone. Gold gulped. Crystal clapped a hand over his mouth as a large group of rhinos came into sight, shafts of evening sunlight glinting dully off the armour of their riders. Gold glanced sideways at Crystal, and saw her eyes narrowing. Her mouth was a thin line of barely concealed rage. He looked back at the group of approaching Fire Nation soldiers and froze, eyes widening in recognition.

"Crystal." He whispered, but she wasn't paying him any heed. She had quickly assessed who the leader of the group was, and had diverted her full attention to her target.

"Crystal." He said again, tugging at her sleeve, "Crystal, don't attack that guy, he's dangerous-"

"Aren't you all. What do you want me to do, stand by as those guys burn down my home? I don't think so." And with that, she leapt from the branch, knocking the prince of the Fire Nation off of his rhino. The rest of the warriors jumped from hiding, and engaged the baffled soldiers.

"He's not your average firebender! He's the- _umph_!" Gold shouted, but was cut short by a heavy blow to his gut. He fell unceremoniously from the tree, and landed in the bushes below.

"Well, well, looks like we get to have a rematch eh?" A voice said from above him. He looked up, and was met with the bristling mustache and dark glasses of Blaine.

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"What is it professor?" Yellow asked as she kept pace with the older man, "Don't strain yourself please!"

"No! No, it's a disaster! A catastrophe! I'm so sorry that this happened!" Oak wheezed as he ran as fast as he could towards the lab.

"What is it professor? Did the Fire Nation find us?" Red questioned, concern clear in his voice.

"Well yes, but that was unavoidable." The two benders leapt in shock.

"Wait, seriously?! We've got to go help!" Yellow cried, "It's my fault they're here in the first place!"

" _Our_ fault." Red corrected.

"That's beside the point! Besides, the warriors will help defend us! No, the problem is with your young bison!" Oak yelled, waving his arms to accentuate the urgency of the situation.

"What happened to Chuchu?!" Yellow blanched in fear.

"I'm not entirely sure… But you must come quickly!" The professor panted. Yellow and Red sped up as they passed the town hall, rushing full-tilt towards Oak's small residence on the outskirts of the village. Yellow reached the lab first and burst through the door without slowing her pace. She was met with the sight of Daisy, crouching on the floor next to the small bison who was fitfully thrashing and gasping for air.

"Chuchu!" Yellow screamed, and dropped to her knees next to the tiny creature. Daisy looked at her with wide, worried eyes and a guilty expression.

"I-I'm so sorry Yellow, it was all my fault! I was in such a rush to warn Crystal about the Fire Nation that I left the door to the laboratory open and-"

"I don't blame you." Yellow said quietly, eyes wide, "But what's happening to her?"

"What exactly did she ingest, Daisy?" Oak said between wheezes, one hand over his heart and the other around Red's shoulders for support.

"I-it was one of the incomplete experiments. T-the one that was supposed to be an energy replenisher, but got the wrong chemicals added to it."

"Ah, that one. Oh dear, well it's no wonder she ate it, it was shaped like a piece of candy after all." Oak mused.

"This is no time to talk about it! Can't you help her?!" Red shouted angrily. Pika jumped onto his head in fright and began chattering madly.

"I don't think we can. There is nothing to counter the effects of something this experimental. If I try to give her something, it might make it worse for all we know! There's really nothing to be done except wait and hope." The professor sighed. Red placed a hand on Yellow's shoulder. She grabbed hold of her small bison's paw, and squeezed tightly.

"You can do it Chuchu." She said quietly, a tear trickling down her face at the baby bison's pained moans. All at once a brilliant white light flashed through the cabin, momentarily blinding everyone in it.

"What's happening?!" Red yelled.

"I don't know!" Oak shouted in answer. Yellow gasped as she felt the tiny paw in her hand begin to grow bigger, and bigger..

"Everyone! Get out of the house!" She cried in alarm, and the four of them blindly shoved their way from the building. Chuchu's anguished mewls turned to loud, rumbling growls, and an ominous creaking and splintering sound filled the air. The bright light began to fade to a dim glow, until it was gone completely. All of them gasped at the sight. The lab had swollen and bulged around the small bison.. who wasn't so small anymore. Broken bits of house fell to the ground as Chuchu opened her mouth and let out another rumbling roar. She was huge, the size of a fully grown sky bison, which was bigger than the professor's poor house could hold.

"Wh-wh-wh.." Red tried, but words failed him.

"What exactly happened?" Daisy supplied. Oak stroked his chin, looking curious.

"Well it appears that what was originally meant to restore energy actually had a peculiar effect on her growth rate.. it's almost like a forced 'evolution' of some sort." He muttered, "But she seems to be fine! And with her size, you might even be able to ride her now, just like your people used to do!"

"Really? We could ride her? That means we might actually be able to ditch the battleship! and Chuchu's okay! Isn't this great Yellow?" Red exclaimed. They all turned to look at the small girl who had been silently sitting on the ground.

"Sh-she's so different.." Yellow said in a small voice, before bursting into tears. Red looked around, clearly flustered, and Daisy patted her on the back. Chuchu shook the remains of Oak's lab off of her, and tottered over to her airbender friend, unused to how big her frame had become. She rumbled again, and licked Yellow in the face, covering her in saliva. Yellow began to laugh through her tears, and tried to wrap her arms around Chuchu's head, but couldn't quite reach.

"Hey Yellow, I hate to tear you away like this, but the Fire Nation soldiers are still here and attacking the town." Red murmured gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. Yellow drew in a shuddering breath, and wiped the tears from her face. She nodded.

"We'll be back soon Chuchu." She said, rubbing a hand along the soft fur of her friend's face, and closing her eyes in concentration. Her eyes flew open suddenly and she stared up at Chuchu.

"Are you sure?" She asked the bison, who growled in assent. Yellow nodded in understanding.

"Professor," She said, turning to face Oak, "do you, by some chance, happen to have a sky bison saddle?"

"I do indeed."

"Then would you be so kind as to saddle up Chuchu? She's offered to let us ride her."

"Of course." The professor's face crinkled into a smile, "You two can go help. Chuchu will be ready and waiting when you get back." Yellow returned his smile as Red turned to Pika.

"Stay here with Chuchu little guy, we'll be right back." The lemur chattered and licked Red's finger. Red patted him on the head, and then the two benders raced off towards the fight that was beginning to ensue between the Fire Nation and the Kyoshi Warriors.

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Crystal was shocked. She had marked the slender boy at the front as the leader, but hadn't been expecting much of a fight. She had been even more grateful than usual for her quick reflexes and earthbending when the boy casually landed on his feet after she had knocked him off of his rhino, and shot three fireballs in quick succession at her. She blocked with a wall of earth, which she then kicked. It shattered and flew at the boy in deadly shards of stone, but he batted them away with a fist covered in fire. They both began to circle each other, observing their opponent. Crystal was confused, this guy was younger than any other firebenders she'd seen, even Red and Gold. However he was very skilled, and wasn't attacking head on like every lowlife firebender did. It made it difficult for her to use the Kyoshi style, which involved using the opponent's force against them. He seemed to favor following blocking or dodging with quick and accurate attacks.

 _Well then,_ Crystal thought, _let's see what happens if I go more offensive._ She gestured upwards and three large boulders rose from the ground. She kicked each of them as hard as she could, and they flew towards her adversary. He dodged two and blasted the last one apart. Crystal rushed forward and stomped on the ground. He fell through and was trapped up to his elbows in dirt. She aimed a flying kick at his face, but her enemy breathed fire at her, which she barely managed to block. Crystal crashed to the ground as the boy pulled himself out of the hole, grunting with effort. He looked down at his armor and gasped.

"What have you done?!" He shrieked, clapping his hands to his face in horror.

"Um, I dunno, what have I done?" Crystal asked, confusion written over her face as she clambered to her feet.

"Y-you got my armor covered in _dirt_!" The boy practically screamed.

"Oh." Crystal said lamely. The boy screeched something unintelligible in anger, and lunged at her. So much for him not attacking head on. He blindly shot streams of fire in every direction, all the while screaming about exacting vengeance on behalf of true fashion (Crystal wondered if he actually thought that his tacky red armor and weird white hat was fashionable). If it wasn't for her earthbending, Crys just knew she'd be fried. Literally. All of a sudden, someone charged out from between two trees and rammed into her adversary, sending him flying.

"Stop it prissy boy, they're just clothes!"

"Exactly!" The boy in the weird hat wailed from where he had landed in a bush.

"You okay, super serious gal?" Gold grinned at her. He was battered and singed, but otherwise seemed to be in high spirits. Crystal frowned at him.

"Stop calling me that. And I had the situation under control." She stated.

"I'm sure. But that guy _is_ a pretty good firebender, as much as I hate to admit it. And as soon as you mess up his clothes, he gets even more dangerous. Oh yeah, and he's the prince of the Fire Nation."

"He's- wait what?! What's the prince doing way out here?" Crystal exclaimed.

"I'm not sure.." Gold murmured, "But it's not a good sign."

"Where have you been this whole fight anyway? I haven't seen you once since I signaled the ambush to begin! I bet you ran off, just like any worthless firebender would-" Crystal continued hotly.

"Oh, well I was just taking an old geezer to visit my friend the Unagi." Gold grinned widely, seemingly unfazed by the insult, "I'm sure he's enjoying the company." A loud scream was heard from over by the bay, along with the unmistakable roar of the giant eel. Crystal gasped.

"Don't worry about him though, he's pretty tough for an old guy. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"No, not that," Crystal said irritably, "Look!" She pointed to the town, where smoke and flames were beginning to lick the darkening sky.

"They're attacking the town! How _could_ they?! There're innocent civilians there!" And with that she ran off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Gold yelled after her, "Geez, how do girls run in these things?" He muttered, hitching up the heavy kimono and trying to follow.

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Yellow was terrified by what she saw. The roofs to most of the buildings were ablaze and smoke was bruising the dark orange sky purple. Villagers who were unable to defend themselves ran screaming from their burning homes or crouched in corners, praying that they would escape unharmed.

"What have we brought to this place Red?" Yellow gasped in horror.

"Something awful. We need to find Gold and get out of here, that's the only way we can stop this." Red replied, "Hey, Yellow, hey! Are you listening to me?" But the young girl (well, she was technically 114), was fixated on the terrible destruction that had befallen the island that had harbored them.

"This is all my fault.. if I had never come here.." Yellow whispered.

"Yellow! Snap out of it! It'll end if we just get outta here!" Red yelled desperately, but she was deaf to his pleas. He backed away as the wind picked up around her. Suddenly, the blue arrows on her hands began to glow. Red looked into her face and gasped. He eyes were glowing the same fluorescent blue that her tattoos were, and her bangs flew up in the strong breeze, revealing another arrow that was also aglow.

"Y-Yellow..?" He said weakly. Then he gasped again as she began to float, a powerful sphere of air forming around her.

"Yellow!" He shouted, but she was either ignoring him, or couldn't hear what he was saying at all. Maybe she didn't even care. Pure anger had taken the place of the usually calm and happy expression on her face, and it terrified Red to his very core. The wind had gotten even stronger, and he had to grab hold of a building to avoid being blown away entirely. The Fire Nation soldiers had turned their attention towards her, and Red realized with a dull shock that Ruby was there. He was trying to shout something to his small battalion, but Red couldn't make out what it was over the gusts of air ripping through the island. The flames crawling across the rooftops fluttered before being extinguished in the overwhelmingly powerful wind. It was almost like riding a rollercoaster in a gale. Yellow's head snapped around to glare at the Firebenders, and they defiantly shot fireballs at her. It was a futile effort, as the fire sputtered and died immediately after being fired. The rest of the villagers watched in horrified fascination as Yellow advanced on the soldiers, roofs flying off of buildings and planks tearing free of the walls as she went. To their credit, and immense stupidity, the battalion didn't budge an inch. Except Ruby, who was smart enough to get out of the way. Yellow swept a hand at them, and they were all sent flying back to their ship, crashing through trees as they were forcefully blasted down the path towards the bay.

"Yellow!" Red yelled again, and he dashed forward, jumping and managing to grab hold of Yellow's hand. Her head whipped around to glare at him, and he was shocked by the anger in her face.

"Yellow," He gasped, "please stop! It's okay now!" The anger slowly melted and the wind ebbed to a light breeze. She drifted to the ground and collapsed, Red barely managing to catch her.

"What the heck just happened?! Are you guys okay?!" Gold's voice shouted, sounding panicky. He ran up and stood beside Red, grabbing his arm.

"Are you okay? How'd you find us?" Red asked automatically, the majority of his attention occupied by checking Yellow's pulse. It was racing.

"Uh duh, the crazy wind and glowy lights? Anyway, we need to get out of here! The ship was destroyed though, is there maybe some other way..?" Gold asked hopefully. Red nodded.

"Luckily, there is. We need to get to Oak's house right away." Red hoisted Yellow onto his back, and began walking. Gold hovered anxiously around his older brother, and Red subconsciously realized that his sibling was dressed in the green kimono and white makeup of the Kyoshi Warriors. He was half curious, but it didn't register in the same way as the haunting sight of the destroyed village of Kyoshi, and the way that people were looking at Yellow. With fear.

"Okay, we're here. Now what- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Gold screeched, as he caught sight of Chuchu.

"Our ride." Red grinned wearily. Chuchu had a huge saddle strapped to her back, and rumbled happily at the sight of them

"Is that... Chuchu?" Gold asked incredulously, "How in the heck did she get so big?!"

"Long story. Let's just get going." Pika jumped on Yellow's head and curled himself around her neck as Red clambered awkwardly up Chuchu's tail and placed Yellow in a comfortable position in the saddle. Pika settled on her stomach and stared into her closed eyes, gurgling in concern.

"Hey!" A voice cried, and the two brothers turned to see Crystal running towards them. Gold winked at Red and strolled casually over to her.

"What's up?" He said.

"What's up? What's up?! The Avatar starts glowing and sends the Fire Nation flying along with the roofs of all the buildings in town, and you ask me 'what's up?!' What the heck did I just see?!"

"Well, the truth is, we have absolutely no idea. I mean, Yellow gets into some pretty weird Avatar stuff, but that's the first time we've seen the glowing blue thing. And I'm really sorry about the town, I'm sure she was just trying to protect you all." Gold apologized sheepishly.

"It's fine. It's easier to replace a roof than rebuild a house from the ashes anyway. She saved us, and I can see that. I just don't know if anyone besides me or the professor will recognize that though.." Crystal sighed, "But anyway, are you guys leaving?"

"We have to. It was all our fault anyway. This is the only way they'll leave you guys alone." Gold ran a hand through his hair and sighed as well.

"Thank you. I think… I think we could be friends. Even if you are a firebender. You're not a bad guy Gold, and definitely not a monster. I'm sorry I thought judged you for where you're from without getting to know you."

"You said my name." Gold stated.

"What?"

"You never said my name before, super serious gal."

"Don't call me that!" Crystal yelled, annoyance returning to her face.

"Whatever. Do you want to come with us?" Gold asked sincerely. Crystal shook her head.

"I can't. My duty is to this town, and while I want to help the Avatar, I've got to help rebuild first. I can't just leave this place. But I know we'll meet again." Crystal said, a sad smile on her face.

"Okay, super serious gal! Catch you later then!" Gold called as he ran off towards Chuchu, a broad grin stretched across his face as he waved.

"Don't call me that!" She yelled after him, but smiled and waved all the same as Red cracked the reins and fell over backwards as the bison took off.

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"Blaine! Where are you?" Ruby cried, stomping on the deck of the ship.

"I'm here m'lord."

"What happened to you?!" Ruby exclaimed, taking in Blaine's tattered lab coat and crooked tie.

"Some sort of eel monster. Not to worry though, I'm fine."

"No you're not! I've got to fix your clothes immediately! And mine!" Ruby shrieked hysterically. Blaine rubbed his temples slowly.

"Prince Ruby, you must focus on what is important. Where are we going in pursuit of the Avatar?"

"Continue to Omashu of course. And don't let the Fire Lord get word about this. We can't let him know we let her slip away again. He won't take the Avatar State as an excuse. Now come along, I need to fix our clothes right now!" Ruby spouted, dragging Blaine back to his chambers.

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"Ungh.." Yellow groaned as she came to.

"Yellow!" Red and Gold shouted joyously.

"What happened?" Yellow sat up, her head spinning, "And where are we?"

"We are currently above the clouds and sitting on a bison's back. And I still think we're crazy and am wondering how the heck something like a bison can possibly be aerodynamic." Gold rattled off. Yellow nodded.

"As for what happened, you um.. Well, your tattoos started glowing and you kinda blew the firebenders away."

"The Avatar State? I didn't.. I didn't hurt anybody did I?" Yellow gasped.

"Aside from the soldiers? Uh, no, I don't think so." Gold said, but Yellow caught the hesitation in his voice.

"I destroyed the town, didn't I." She stated. Red glanced back at Gold.

"Well, nothing nearly as bad as what would've happened! I mean, you put the fire out and all, so they only have to do some minor repairs. It's not like they have to rebuild the whole town!" Gold said hurriedly. Yellow groaned.

"I can't believe I did that, hurt all those people…"

"Yellow, you _saved_ them. And I forbid you from talking badly about yourself from now on." Red said sternly, and Yellow smiled weakly, "Anyhow, we're almost to Omashu. We're gonna meet up with mom, and then get help on what to do next. Maybe we can find you an earthbending or a waterbending teacher!"

"Shoot!" Gold yelped, "Why didn't Crys come with us?! Now we're gonna have to find another earthbender to teach you!" Chuchu let out one of her great, rumbling growls, and Red laughed.

"It isn't funny Red!"

"But I'm sure we can find another one! We are going to an Earth Kingdom city!" The older boy chuckled. Yellow blocked out the banter of her two companions, and stared at a gap in the clouds, where she could make out the moon twinkling off of the tiny waves of the ocean.

 **A/N Okay! That chapter was a bit heavy and serious, but I hope you liked it anyway! I've got a bit of an announcement to make; I'm going on a trip to another country for a month, and I'm basically going to do an internship on a farm. In other words, I will probably be very busy and have no clue what the internet connection will be like. I'm going to try my best to write in my down time, and hope that there will be internet there so I can keep updating! If there isn't internet, then I'll just write my chapters and publish a bunch at the same time when I get back. I'm sorry for the inconvienience! I'll try to get another chapter out tomorrow to make up for it, but that's not a guarantee. Anyway, reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	8. The Disguise

**Okay, so I didn't end up getting that chapter out right away. Sorry about that! But I'm here with some good news! It turns out I do have an internet connection, and it seems I might have more time than I thought to write, so I guess updates will actually be pretty normal! Yay! Now, on to chapter eight!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga**

"There it is guys! Omashu!" Red yelled back to his companions, who were just waking up.

"Great Red. Wonderful. Can't you just let a person get their sleep?" Gold groaned groggily from his sleeping bag. Red had elected to pull an all-nighter as Yellow and Gold caught up on their sleep mid-flight. They had been flying since sundown, and the sky was just beginning to lighten, the rosy glow of morning peeking over the horizon.

"Aw c'mon Gold, mom's down there! We haven't seen her in two years!" Red exclaimed, looking the most awake despite having been up for so long. Gold perked up at that.

"Does anyone have a comb? She'll get mad if I look beat up. Oh darn, I haven't washed my face either…"

"Yep, you still look like a girl." Yellow giggled from inside of her sleeping bag.

"Oh be quiet!" Gold grumbled, rubbing at his face and smudging the residual makeup off. Yellow closed her eyes and was about to drift off again when Pika jumped on her.

" _Oof_! Watch it Pika!" She groaned, sitting up and woefully crawled out from her comfortable makeshift bed. The lemur chattered at her, and then dived into the still-warm covers she had just vacated.

"Hey! Bed-thief!" She growled at him. Gold burst out laughing.

"Yellow, have you ever been to Omashu?" Red asked from his perch on Chuchu's head. She glanced at him and saw that he was grinning crazily despite the dark bags under his eyes.

"I've been a few times. I would come and visit a friend who went by the name of Birch. I doubt he's still around though…" She said, and stared down at the passing peaks of the Kolau Mountains. The two brothers joined her in looking out across the mountains as the great city of Omashu came clearly into focus. The firebenders gasped at the sight, while Yellow smiled. A huge chasm gaped at the feet of the mountains, and rising from the center was a tall city built from one of the soaring peaks. There were four pyramid-like structures surrounded by a wall that made up the circular city, and only one narrow walkway spanning the gap between Omashu and the other rocky heights. Red and Gold could easily see why their mom had yet to take it, it was almost unreachable, not to mention the fierce earthbenders that were determined to protect their home.

"It's magnificent.." Red breathed.

"Hey Yellow, they've got girls in there too, right?" Gold smiled winningly. Red and Yellow shook their heads in exasperation.

"What, you're gonna forget about Crystal that fast?" Red teased, and Gold punched him in the shoulder.

"Look down there!" Yellow suddenly gasped, and the others turned their gazes to the side of one of the mountains. It was covered in tiny black dots that were moving about, and the smoke from multiple campfires trickled upwards.

"That's gotta be them." Gold confirmed, "C'mon Red, what're you waiting for?"

"Well, this might not be such a good idea." Red muttered.

"What are you talking about? You think mom isn't gonna help us?!" Gold shouted.

"No! It's just, we have the Avatar with us okay?! And I'm not worried about mom, but that's a lot of Fire Nation soldiers down there, and we don't know if they were tipped off about Yellow or what." Red retorted.

"Hey, calm down guys. How about we land Chuchu in a place where they won't see her or find her, and I go in disguise? Then you can find your mom inconspicuously, and none of the others will know who I am." Yellow offered peaceably. Gold glared at Red for a moment.

"Sounds like an okay idea to me." He finally said. Red nodded in agreement and then tugged on the reins, steering Chuchu to the other side of the mountain where the soldiers had set up camp. They landed on green grass that grew next to a small babbling stream and found a cave to hide Chuchu in. She rumbled in protest.

"I'm sorry Chuchu, but can you stay here until we get back? Please?" Yellow whispered to the bison, stroking the coarse fur on her cheeks. Chuchu grumbled again, but slightly quieter.

"Thank you Chuchu." Yellow smiled gratefully.

"You did it again." Red noticed.

"Did what?" yellow questioned.

"You touched her face and talked to her like she talked to you."

"But of course she talked to me." Yellow replied, confusion written across her features, "Or at least, she _thought_ to me."

"What do you mean?" Gold inquired, just as curious as his brother.

"Oh, I haven't told you yet, have I? I can kinda read the minds of animals." Yellow informed them. Their jaws dropped.

"What?! Is that an Avatar thing?" Red asked, scratching his head.

"No, it's just a me thing, I think." Yellow said sheepishly.

"Geez, how much weirder can you get, Avatar gal?" Gold shook his head in wonder.

"But anyway, how the heck are we going to disguise you?" Red sighed, looking around at the meager mountainside.

"I've got an idea!" Gold suddenly declared.

"What is it?" Red and Yellow asked, the former showing considerably less enthusiasm than the latter.

"We disguise her as a mountain hobo that was spying on the soldiers, and then take her in for questioning with the general! It's foolproof!" Gold blurted excitedly.

"Uhh…" Red said.

"Well, it's the best plan we have so far!" Yellow told Gold with optimism, "Let's give it a shot Red, who knows, it might actually work!"

"Hey! What do you mean, _actually_?!" Gold replied indignantly.

"Fine!" Red shouted in exasperation, "But if we get caught, I'm blaming it on Gold!"

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"Okay, let me get this straight. You saw the Avatar and her friends take off.. On a _flying bison_?!" Ruby asked the soldier in front of him incredulously. The man nervously gulped, and nodded jerkily.

"Why weren't they riding it before?! Where did it come from?! I assumed that they left Kyoshi, but I never imagined that… No matter. Blaine!"

"Yes m'lord?" The older man said immediately.

"Tell the captain to get us to Omashu as fast as he possibly can. They have an air bison now, and might've already arrived." Ruby ordered, and then eyed the soldier next to him, "Hmmm.. Would you do me a favor?" He asked the man.

"O-of course prince Ruby! Anything!"

"Wonderful! Then will you try on the new dress I made? I've been looking for someone to model it!" The poor man gulped, and nodded, knowing he had no choice in the matter. He slowly got up and followed the ecstatic prince, wondering where in the world Ruby had found the time to make a dress.

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"Hey! Who're you? What business do you have here, huh?" The man with the impressive black sideburns and wearing the unmistakable red suit of armor of the Fire Nation asked gruffly as he leveled a spear at Red, Yellow and Gold. Gold had gone back to Fire Nation attire, and had attempted to make his school uniform look more like normal clothes. Yellow was almost completely unrecognizable. The majority of her face was covered in a long white 'beard' constructed of Chuchu's fur, and what parts of her skin could be seen had been daubed with mud from the stream. Her long ponytail had been hidden in a scrubby _bush_ that Red had strapped to her head, and Gold had donated an older pair of clothes to her, which he had taken the liberty of ripping apart, dipping in water, and dragging through mud. The disguise was very effective, but highly uncomfortable, and Yellow shivered with every slight gust of wind.

"Oh, we're.. uh…" Red began, and Yellow mentally groaned.

"Um," Gold stepped in, "we're those kids that hang around and tip off the general, bring her the occasional prisoner, y'know? We just caught this hobo hanging around. Thought one of the higher-ups might want to meet 'im." Gold grabbed Yellow's shoulder and shook her for effect.

"Oho, I see. Don't think you two can fool me." The guard said, and the three young benders gulped.

"F-fool.. you?" Gold laughed nervously.

"Of course! You're Buck and Marley, ain't ya? Hah! Don't tell me you've never heard of the great Al! The guard of the West side of camp! Ken and Harry have told me all about ya! Although, Marley, you don't really look like a girl..." Al frowned, pointing at Red. Red jumped and immediately assumed a very stereotypical girly pose.

"Ah, I just like my hair short, oh great Al!" He said in a piercing falsetto. Al nodded in understanding.

"Ken and Harry have told us all about you too, oh amazingly great Al. Your epicness is blinding." Gold said in a monotone. Al didn't seem fazed at all. In fact, Yellow began to wonder if he even knew what sarcasm was.

"Now _that's_ what I like to hear!" Al bellowed, "In you go you two! And be careful with that hobo, even though he's small, hobos are nasty pieces of work." Al glared at Yellow, who inwardly bristled at the word small, and then burst into hearty laughter. Red and Gold quickly walked past him, and into the encampment.

"Y'know, if this situation was any different, I'd be really mad that mom has such stupid people working for her." Gold whispered.

"Yep." Red agreed, "Now we just have to find her tent without anyone recognizing us- oh shoot."

Yellow glanced over her shoulder to see a girl with flaming red hair in an explosive ponytail, blue jeans, and a short black shirt emblazoned with the Fire Nation insignia that showed all of her stomach striding towards them, a look of confusion on her face.

"Oh Sozin, try to get away before she reaches us!" Red whispered frantically. Unfortunately, the soldiers that lived in the camp were giving them funny looks and milling about so it was nearly impossible to get anywhere, especially if you were trying to keep a low profile. Red felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Buck! Marley! I've been trying to find you! You got another spy, huh? Well, come along then! Hurry up!" The girl said officiously, and Yellow got the feeling that she was someone of importance by the way the soldiers backed away and made a path for her. She led them through a maze of tents, campfires, and people before reaching a tent larger than the rest. It was a deep red, and the now-common black insignia of the nation was printed across the door flap. The girl politely held the flap open for them, and Yellow was able to briefly glimpse a luxurious interior complete with a low table and cushions before their host laced the flap closed and turned to face the trio.

"Red, Gold, what the heck are you two doing here?" The girl asked. By now, Yellow was extremely confused, and from the looks on Red and Gold's faces, they had as much of an idea of what was going on as she did.

"If you recognized us, why didn't you use our real names, Flannery?" Gold questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"I didn't want the rest of the soldiers to realize who you were. Not all of them are _quite_ as dumb as Al. And if you were trying to get away from me, then there must've been a good reason you didn't want anyone to recognize you. Besides, there's unrest in the men even without knowing that the general's kids have come to pay a visit." Flannery sighed.

"Unrest in the soldiers? Why?" Red inquired.

"Your mother." She groaned, and plopped down on a cushion, gesturing for the others to do the same.

"Aw what, is she too tough for those wimps to handle?" Gold grinned, taking a seat next to Flannery.

"That's why she chose you as her second-in-command Flannery, you play the good cop while she gets to be the bad one." Red smiled and sat down as well. Yellow quickly followed their lead, feeling awkward in her hobo costume and completely lost by the conversation.

"No, that's not it." Flannery rubbed her temples.

"Well what is then? Has she gone on vacation or something?" Gold asked, a shred of worry finding it's way into his features.

"Kind of… Ugh. I'm not sure of the best way to tell you two this." The second-in-command muttered, staring at them helplessly.

"What do you mean? She isn't..." Red said, a definite note of panic in his voice.

"Oh! No no no! Don't misunderstand! She's unharmed!" Flannery corrected quickly, her eyes widening, "It's just.. She… she was ambushed, and.. she's been captured by the earthbenders of Omashu."

"WHAT?!" Red and Gold shrieked simultaneously, leaping to their feet. Flannery bit her lip.

"We can't attack without risking her safety, and there's no way we can send in an undercover team to rescue her. I mean, I'd go myself, but they already know my face. And there's no way one of the men would be able to pull it off, you've seen our guards, haven't you?" Flannery explained. The three benders remembered Al the guard, and nodded. Gold blew a long sigh.

"So that's how it is, huh?" He said, and sank back into the cushion, shoulders slumped.

"Thank you for telling us." Red added.

"Of course. By the way, who is that with you?" Flannery pointed at Yellow, who jumped.

"Oh, uh… a friend?" Red said, very unconvincingly. Flannery stared at him for a moment.

"Well, if he needs to stay in disguise, then I won't pry." She said at length.

 _What is it with people and mistaking me for a boy?!_ Yellow thought exasperatedly.

"But can I ask why and how you two are in the _Earth Kingdom_ of all places?" Flanery inquired, leaning forward to stare at the boys.

"We were coming to see our mom, Flannery. We haven't seen her in two years." Red retorted, "We'd had enough."

"And then we finally arrive at where she's _supposed_ to be, and she's gotten herself captured!" Gold groaned, "Just when we were finally about to see her and get her to help us and everything!" He put his face in his hands.

"Well, it's not like we're just going to leave her in there, are we? You're talking as if there's nothing we can do about it." Red said determinedly.

"What do you mean?" Gold lifted his head to look at his brother, "Flannery already said there's no way we can send in a rescue team."

"Yeah, not of soldiers. But there are three people sitting in this tent who are more capable than those soldiers, and the earthbenders don't know their faces yet."

"Who?" Flannery and Gold said at the same time. Yellow and Red put their faces in their palms.

"Us." Red stated simply, gesturing to himself, his brother, and Yellow.

"That's genius Red!" Gold yelped, and pounded him on the back.

"It was just logical.." Red mumbled.

"Is that hobo trustworthy? I know you said that he was a friend, but I don't trust that look in his eyes…" Flannery said, frowning disapprovingly at Yellow. Yellow shrank under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, she's fine." Gold said in exasperation.

"Wait, she?" Flannery gasped.

"Is there a place for us to stay the night?" Red asked.

"Yes, you can stay in the smaller tent next to this one. But hold on, is that seriously a gi-"

"Okay thanks! Bye Flannery! We'll talk tomorrow!" Gold said, blowing her a kiss and earning himself a smack from Red. The three benders left the tent, leaving behind a very confused Flannery.

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The cell was small, and far from comfortable. It was made of rough stone bricks, and the dark traces of liquid streaming down the walls when it rained were clearly visible. Patches of moss and mushrooms spurted from the cracks and thrived in the damp conditions. In one corner a soggy blanket served as a bed, and in the other was a bucket for waste. The only exit, a heavy iron door, had a single flap that allowed for food to be shoved unceremoniously into the small space. The only light filtered down from a tiny barred window that was only directly in the sun for an hour a day. The space was miserable, but had not yet broken the spirit of the only occupant. She unmistakably from the Fire Nation, what with her telltale red armor, her hair was in two large loops with one stubborn lock falling over her red headband and into her eyes, and her eyes burned with fury. She was crouched on the blanket and leaning against the wall, putting on a show of being comfortable while feigning sleep. The sound of heavy boots echoed down the hallway, penetrating the usual monotony of water droplets falling to the floor. By the sound of it, there were at least four people making their way towards her cell. She squinted at the door through a half-closed eyelid as the scrape of a key in the lock met her ear. It was flung open, and three guards hurried in, putting up their fists in preparation to earthbend if the need arose. They were followed by a middle aged man with brown hair and beard, and a bit of a belly showing through his casual blue t-shirt and lab coat.

"Here she is, king Birch." One of the earthbenders said gruffly, and Birch nodded. The woman sat upright, glancing at the king curiously.

"Hello." He began, pleasantly enough. She silently acknowledged him with a tilt of her head.

"I assume you know the reason you have been captured?" He asked. She didn't stir.

"Well, you _are_ the Fire Lord's best general you know." He chuckled, "And your fighting prowess shows it!"

"If my fighting prowess counted for anything I would've been captured now would I?" The woman said bitterly. Birch grinned.

"Ah, I see you're disappointed in yourself with being captured. I'm terribly sorry." He didn't sound remotely apologetic, "But idle chitchat isn't the reason I'm paying you a visit. No, you see I am here to discuss things with you. Under normal circumstances you would be released with the withdrawal of your troops, and that hasn't happened quite yet, so you aren't free to go. However, these aren't normal circumstances. I of course want to use you as a bargaining chip to rid Omashu of the Fire Nation, but unfortunately I have a personal vendetta with the Fire Lord. And you, being one of his closest officers, will do to fit the bill of my revenge quite nicely." The woman stared at him, no emotion crossing her face.

"Revenge for my daughter, if you were curious. You've done something to her, and I want payback. You might understand, who knows? You might be a parent." Birch sighed, and, giving his prisoner one last smile, he exited the cell. The guards followed, locking the door tightly. The woman lowered her gaze and allowed the words of the king to sink in.

" _You might be a parent."_

 _Red, Gold._

 **A/N Annnnnnd done! Hope you guys liked this chapter! It's a bit different than when the gaang went to Omashu, huh? Ah, deviations from the original plot are so much fun~ Reviews are appreciated, as always! :)**


	9. The Rift

**Okay, hello. I realize it has been almost a month since the last chapter. I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT! I love real life, but sometimes it can just be a real pain when you are trying to find time in its eternal busy-ness to write a chapter of something. GAH. Well, I'm gonna stop ranting and rambling and let you read this chapter that is (WARNING:) chock full of drama. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga**

"Niiiiice." Gold whistled, glancing around at their temporary accommodations. The three of them were standing inside of the tent that Flannery had directed them to, which, although being smaller than the general's, was still _very_ spacious and fancy. There were three cots in the corner, all with comfortable-looking blankets and pillows piled on top of them, and the ground had been covered in a thick, woolly carpet. A basket of chocolates was placed neatly on a stool beside the cots, and Gold immediately took advantage of this.

"Sho, hab we godda plan?" He managed around a mouthful.

"Um, wear some Earth Kingdom clothes, sneak in, find mom, and escape?" Red offered, reaching for a chocolate. Gold pulled the basket away defensively.

"Great plan, genius. But how're we gonna find her?" Gold said as he swallowed the lump of cocoa and caramel in his mouth.

"..I was planning to improvise that bit.." Red muttered, scratching the back of his head. Gold rolled his eyes. Pika crawled out from underneath Red's shirt where he had been hiding, and slapped him disapprovingly.

"And you say _I'm_ the idiot in the family." Gold admonished, "Yellow, any plans?" the brothers turned to look at the Avatar, who had sat down on the stool and was being unusually quiet. She looked up at them and twisted the hem of her shirt uncomfortably.

"What is it Yellow?" Red asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

"Oh, I was just thinking.." Yellow trailed off, looking anywhere but his face.

"What's wrong, Avatar gal? Mad that I'm not sharing the chocolate?" Gold questioned, as he stuffed another couple of pieces into his mouth.

"No.. that's not it." Yellow gave a small laugh.

"Then what is?" Red stared at the airbender. She bit her lip nervously.

"Well, I was thinking that, um, being the Avatar and all.." She stopped momentarily, and then continued with an encouraging nod from Red, "I'm supposed to be neutral and.. and do what's best for the majority. I've gotta do the right thing-"

"What are you saying? Are you implying that because our mom's a Fire Nation general you're not gonna help us rescue her?!" Gold roared, shooting to his feet.

"I'm trying to think about this logically! Look, your mom's got an entire city under siege, _and_ she's the Fire Lord's right-hand woman! M-maybe it's a good thing that she's somewhere else for a while-" Yellow said desperately.

"So?! She's our _mom_ , Yellow!" Gold shouted defensively, his face slowly reddening with rage. Red placed a calming hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Yellow, you don't really mean that, do you?" He pressed. Yellow bit her lip again.

"Look guys, she's safe where she is right now, and the Fire Nation is the enemy anyway-"

"You're not gonna help our mom just because of her nationality? After we threw away everything to help you?!" Gold's eyes narrowed in rage.

"No! I want to help you more than anything! But I'm trying to think about this like the Avatar, don't you see? If your mom gets out, then she's going to keep hurting the people of Omashu!"

"So what?! Why does that matter?! Like that's any reason to keep us from a loved one!" Gold shouted.

"Gold, please try to think rationally! I'm trying to help!" Yellow pleaded.

"You're not trying to help us!" The firebender raged.

"You've got it all wrong! You two are the ones I want to help the most!"

"Well then why don't you? Why won't you help us?!"

"Because… because it's my _duty_ as the Avatar to help as many people as I can! I've got to do what will benefit the majority!" Yellow explained, "You don't know how much pressure I'm under!"

"Pressure? How much pressure do you think we're under? What with being hunted by our own country because we decided to help you! And now you won't even pay us back!"

"No I- Red? Do you get it?" She helplessly turned to the older boy, who had remained silent throughout most of the fight. He slowly shook his head.

"Yellow… we're going to rescue our mom. And if you're not going to help… then we'll just go alone." Red told her, "C'mon Gold, let's go find somewhere else to spend the night. We're leaving at daybreak." Gold spared a moment to glare at Yellow, before storming out of the tent, spitefully kicking a cot on the way out. As soon as they were gone, Yellow collapsed on one of the beds, her head dropping to stare at the carpet.

"Wh-what did I just.. do..?" She mumbled to herself in a daze, "Why is being the Avatar so hard? Wh-why did it have to be me?!" And then the tears came. She curled up on the cot and her body was racked with sobs. She had never wanted this. She had never wanted to be the Avatar in the first place. She hadn't wanted to find that out, or be caught in the storm as she fled her new title, or wake up to find that one hundred years had passed and her home and friends had gone forever. And she had especially never wanted to let her new friends, her new family, go. Maybe it was because of the valued friendships that were now part of the past, but even though she had only known Red and Gold for little more than a week, their absence hurt more than that of the Western Air Temple. Without bothering to remove the bush or mud from her clothes, she fell into a deep sleep.

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The general blinked sleep from her eyes as the shaft of sunlight that managed to squeeze itself through the small window hit her in the face. She had dozed off sometime in the night, but she didn't know when exactly, as all she had to go by was what lighting she could make out from inside the cell. No new food had been shoved through the door flap. That was a good sign. She would be worried if someone had stopped by her quarters without her noticing, it would tell her that her senses had dulled. She wouldn't allow herself deteriorate in any way. The general pulled herself up from the uncomfortable corner she had fallen asleep in and stretched, tossing the mildewed blanket away as she noted the many knots in her back and neck from the less than ideal living conditions. She lowered herself to the floor in a plank, and did a few pushups, realizing with a nasty shock that she couldn't do as many as she used to be able to.

Heavy footfalls echoed down the corridor outside of the cell, and the general quickly sat back in the corner and closed her eyes as if she was sleeping. To her surprise, the door was forcefully thrown open instead of the usual meal of water and bread being shoved through the flap. Again the three guards entered, with Birch in tow.

"Hello again, Ms. General. I hope you had a good night's rest…?" Birch addressed her, "Oh come now. There's no reason to pretend to be asleep."

"What do you want?" She growled, opening her eyes and leaping to her feet. The guards raised their fists warily.

"Calm down, she isn't going to do anything, isn't that right?" Birch asked.

"I dunno about that." The general hissed.

"Ah, but you're curious about what I have to say, aren't you?" The king smiled.

"Sure, I'd like to know what you think you'll be able to do to me." She scoffed.

"My, such confidence! Either you are an overly-arrogant officer, or are lacking in the brains department." Birch said, a colder edge detectable in his voice.

"A mix of both, they tell me. But we'll see won't we?"

"Hm, indeed we will." He responded, seeming to regain his composure, "You are to be executed as soon as your troops withdraw. Of course, the Fire Lord isn't to know that, is he? Because I doubt he would bargain for a dead woman."

"Hmph, and here I was expecting more of the great King Birch." The general snorted, crossing her arms. Birch's smile didn't waver.

"I admire your bravado, but it truly counts for nothing my dear. Especially in the face of an angry parent." With a small wave, he left. The guards followed, treading backwards so that the general didn't leave their line of sight. She made a sudden start forwards and they jumped in shock. She laughed and sat back down.

 _Now, how am I going to get out of this mess…?_ She thought, closing her eyes and leaning against the dank stone wall.

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"Blaine!" Ruby cried, as the older man opened the door to the prince's chambers with a pot of hot jasmine tea.

"What is it, m'lord?" Blaine asked in alarm.

"When will we arrive at Omashu?"

"In less than twenty minutes by the captain's estimate. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, a big one." Ruby narrowed his eyes.

"What is it young master?" Blaine questioned.

"I've run out of yarn." He stated seriously.

"But m'lord, you still have that brown yarn ther-"

"Blaine. Brown yarn. BROWN. What beautiful thing can you make with brown yarn?"

"Well-"

"NOTHING. That is the answer Blaine. NOTHING. This is an emergency situation!" The prince began to hyperventilate slightly, eyes widening.

"Mm. I see. Well, I shall inform the captain to try and cut the time down to fifteen minutes. in the meantime, how would you like some tea?" Blaine set the steaming pot down beside Ruby, whom he forcefully pushed into a chair. He poured a cup, and pushed it into the boy's hands.

"I'll speak with the captain now. Just drink your tea."

"But Blai-"

"Drink. Your tea." The older man said, and gave Ruby a tight smile. The prince drank his tea.

"Good. I shall return momentarily. Think of what exactly you wish us to do once we arrive in Omashu." Ruby opened his mouth as if to speak, " _Aside_ from restocking your yarn supply that is." Blaine added hastily. He waved, and quit the chamber. The red-eyed boy sank deeper into his seat, frowning and sipping gingerly at the piping-hot drink cupped in his hands.

"...This is really good." He muttered sullenly.

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"I can't _believe_ her! We gave up everything and she just-"

"I know, okay?! Shut up for a second Gold!" Red snapped angrily. Gold took a step back, staring in shock at his usually calm older brother. He was breathing heavily through his nose and glaring at the ground of the small tent that they had found empty on the outskirts of the camp. The only furnishings were a few blankets and a tiny cast-iron cauldron. The younger boy sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. He searched his sibling's face and observed the anger that was so foreign there. Pika hopped to the ground from Red's shoulder, and retreated to a corner of the tent, shivering at the tense atmosphere.

"Red?" Gold finally murmured tentatively.

"What?" Was his reply. Red didn't sound angry anymore, more like… lost. His face was buried in his palms and he sagged as if invisible strings that had previously held him up had been cut.

"What are we going to do now? Our country hates us, our mom's in an Earth Kingdom prison, and our one means of transportation is gone. A-as well as a friend." Gold said in a small voice. Red sighed deeply, and raised his head to stare at the ceiling.

"I don't know Gold. I just don't know anymore. I guess our only choice is to rescue mom and figure it out with her."

"How are we going to do that? We don't have a plan, and now we don't even have the advantage of having the Avatar on our side!" Gold's voice raised in volume as he spoke, until he started to shout, rage clear in his voice, "We're just two kids from the freaking _Fire Nation_! Everyone in the world hates us, okay!? We're just _kids_!" The younger boy's face reddened and hot, frustrated tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

"We have to try. It's the only option." Red said in a hollow monotone. Gold shot up and kicked the blankets to the opposite side of the tent. He then grabbed the cauldron by the handle and brought it into the air before sending it crashing into the ground. He continued until a small crater formed in the hard-packed earth, growing more frantic with each crash of metal on dirt and emitting angry grunts. Red watched without interest. His eyes were blank and devoid of emotion. Gold finally spun and threw the metal pot out of the tent flap. The clanging of the cauldron as it bounced along the ground echoed through the camp until it disappeared in the darkness. Then he collapsed and curled into a ball, gritting his teeth as tears spilled out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

"What's wrong with me.." He finally sniffed, "I've never felt so helpless." He beat his fist against the hard floor.

"Didn't realize she meant so much." He croaked, then flopped onto his back, arms crossed over his face, "We've only know her for 'bout a week and she already means so much. Why does she mean so much if she doesn't care about us?!" He yelled at the ceiling. But no answer came. He peeked out at his brother. Red's eyes were unfocused and he was staring into space, hugging his knees. he didn;t seem to have registered the tantrum his sibling had just thrown.

 _If she's so much to him, then why did she hurt him like this?_ Gold thought, _Did she realize what she was doing? … I'm not going to forgive her. Not until she apologizes for hurting us._

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"I'm back m'lord. I hope you've put some thought to what we are to do when we arrive? Which will be in five minutes by the way."

"Ah, Blaine. Yes, I have." Ruby sat up from where he was slumped in the chair, and fussily straightened his hat.

"Mm, and?" Blaine took the chair opposite his young charge, and stared intently at him.

"Make contact with the leader of the camp, and inform them of the three fugitives we are looking for. Enlist their help in scouring the area."

"Very good, but what if the Avatar and her friends have entered the city?" Blaine questioned.

"I'm not entirely sure… but I do hope it hasn't come to that and we can capture them without having to cross that bridge." Ruby sighed, "I really don't want to deal with the Earth Kingdom along with this problem. Especially this particular king. It would not be a happy confrontation I don't think." He gingerly touched the side of his head, under his hat.

"Of course." Blaine nodded in understanding. There was a sharp rap on the chamber door.

"Come in." Ruby called, and the portal creaked open. Lt. Surge appeared in the doorway, glancing around nervously, to assure himself that there was no devious shower awaiting him.

"We've arrived, sir." The captain saluted stiffly, before beating a hasty retreat. Ruby pushed himself to his feet and nodded at Blaine to follow him as he retraced Surge's steps out of the room. The two firebenders made their way down the steps into the steaming belly of the ship, where the rest of the soldiers were patiently waiting. The front of the ship hissed and began to lower with the clank of chains and screech of ungreased gears.

"Ugh, such a horrible sound," Ruby flinched, "get someone down here to oil those gears please!"

"But sir," One of the guards piped up, "doesn't it add atmosphere if we have the gangplank sound so ominous?" Ruby glared at the hapless soldier.

"Perhaps. But the only atmosphere that I try to create with my presence is one of _awe_ and _beauty_. Screeching metal is neither of those things."

"R-right sir.." The soldier muttered through his skull mask.

"Alright then, let's get a move on." Blaine said over the dull crash of gangplank on the dock. The small contingent marched forward at once. A woman with an intense and explosive red hairdo was awaiting their arrival on the dock, backed by six men with spears. She caught sight of Ruby and immediately bowed deeply, her men following suit.

"Prince Ruby! To what do I owe this surprise visit?" She said in a very strained voice. Ruby could tell that speaking so formally was not her strong suit.

"Flannery." He nodded, "I'm here to see the general. Could you take me to her?" Flannery shot upright, and jerkily shook her head.

"I'm sorry my lord, but that isn't possible."

"Why not?" Blaine asked in alarm.

"She's not here. She's been captured by the people of Omashu." Flannery stated.

"What?! The Fire Lord's top general, captured?! This is a disaster! A catastrophe! How could this have happened?!" Blaine spluttered.

"No.. This may actually work in our favor." Ruby muttered.

" _How_ could this possibly-" Blaine gasped.

" _Because_ , I highly doubt that the general would want to participate in capturing her two sons. It might be better this way."

"What?! Red and Gold? What've they done?" Flannery choked, "Um, I mean, sorry! It's not my place!"

"They've committed treason against the Fire Lord and must be brought in. Along with their travelling companion, the Avatar." Ruby informed her.

"The _Avatar_?! Wait.. So that girl from earlier was-"

"You've seen them?" Blaine interrupted. The general's second-in-command nodded uneasily.

"I have. In fact, I gave them a tent to spend the night in. I can take you there if you want." She added reluctantly.

"Let's go. Hopefully they're still there." Ruby nodded grimly.

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" _...Yellow."_

" _Who's there?"_

" _Hello, Yellow."_

" _Who are you?"_

" _I am you."_

" _What are you talking about? You're not me. I'm me. I'm not an old woman. And I don't have weird teeth like you do either!"_

" _Hey! I'm not old! And my teeth aren't weird!" The strange woman floating in Yellow's thoughts crossed her arms indignantly._

" _Um, where exactly are we? Is this a dream or…"_

" _No no, ya fool! It's your subconscious! Geez, you're not catching on very fast for an Avatar, y'know?"_

" _An Avatar? Wait… you're an Avatar?!"_

" _There we go, the brain's working now, eh? Hehehehehe!" The old woman cackled, displaying her crooked teeth even further, "Yep. The name's Kimberly, but everyone just calls me Ultima. Most powerful Avatar to date, so they say! I mean sure, I was the most recent Avatar, but none of our past selves were able to top my ultimate elemental finisher attacks!"_

" _...I see." Yellow muttered, for lack of anything better to say. She wondered how on earth Ultima could possibly be her past life._

" _Ah yes, you're probably a bit curious as to why I'm visiting you, hmmm?" Ultima winked knowingly at the small girl._

" _Well.. yes, actually. I am."_

" _Hehehehe! Thought you were! Anyway, I've noticed that you're being troubled by something. Want to talk?"_

" _Not really. But I guess it's better than keeping it to myself."_

" _Attagirl! Though technically, you are keeping it to yourself. Hehehehehe!" Ultima burst into another bout of raucous giggles._

" _Well, I suppose that it's a good thing to have another Avatar here to talk to. Because I need advice." Yellow sighed._

" _Advice? Advice on what?" Ultima asked._

" _Advice on how to be the Avatar. I never know if I'm making the right choice or not! I try to be neutral, but it's so hard! I have to constantly weigh the lives of people on a scale and try to do what's for the greater good! But it's too difficult… How can_ anyone _have been able to do this on their own before? A-and.. it just cost me my best friends.. my only friends… Aside from Chuchu of course." Yellow stared pleadingly at the older woman, embarrassed to discover that it was possible to tear up in your thoughts._

" _Hmph. Well obviously people have done it before. You're definitely not the first Avatar young missy. But I will give you two pieces of advice. The first; although you are free to go about things your own way, remember that you_ already are _the Avatar. You don't have to make choices that you think an Avatar would make, because you are already making the Avatar's choices. The second; You should probably wake up now, because some Fire Nation soldiers are coming to arrest you. Toodle-oo!" And with that, she vanished._

Yellow sat up with a start, and with horror realized that the darkness outside the tent had been replaced with shouts and glowing lights that were fast approaching.

 **A/N: Okay, so I know I don't really have a set schedule (I DO actually try to update every week, believe it or not), but I won't be able to get another chapter out next week because I will be without internet for an entire seven days. The horror. So, I will get back to you as soon as I can in the next two weeks with chapter ten!**

 **Reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	10. The Infiltration

**Hello hello! I'm sorry about the lack of chapter last week, I had no internet. But, I'm back with chapter ten! We're finaly in the double digits! Not gonna hold you up with a long author note, so enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Special manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

Yellow looked wildly around the dimly lit tent, and hurriedly blew out the flickering kerosene lantern that Red had brought in earlier. Heart pounding, she searched the small space for a hiding place, and jumped at the only option; under the nearest cot. It was a bad plan, and she knew it, but there wasn't any other option seeing as there were Fire Nation soldiers at the door. Silhouettes of the spiked helmets and broad shoulder plates of her enemies could be seen through the thin canvas of the tent as their hands lit up with flames to light the way. The first one ducked into the tent, and glanced around. Yellow couldn't make out his face, as it was hidden behind an intimidating skull mask. Two more followed, and to her horror, Yellow recognized the prince and his manservant, Blaine. A fourth entered. They seemed scared, or guilty, by the way they crept along the edge of the tent and recoiled whenever anyone spoke. By the inconsistent firelight, Yellow realized that it was Flannery. Well that explained how Ruby knew where to look.

"You're sure that this is the right tent?" Ruby whispered, and Flannery jumped at his voice.

"Y-yes, I'm positive." The terrified woman gulped, "You aren't… you aren't going to do anything bad to Red and Gold, right?" Her question was ignored.

"Nobody could be under this carpet, m'lord. It has to be…" Blaine's voice trickled off, but Yellow didn't need to see his finger pointing at the cots to know what he was indicating. The light glowed on her face as the first soldier brought his hand down closer to the ground. Yellow squeezed her eyes shut, and wriggled back as far as she could under the bed. Her hands found the rough canvas of the wall, and frantically searched it for a way out. She opened one eye and saw the flames dancing on the man's palm, as he lay flat on his stomach and stared under the bed opposite her. She almost let out a squeak of fear, and wormed her fingers under the tent wall. Somewhere along it was pinned to the ground by a stake. Yellow frantically ran her hand down the length of the stiff wall, praying that the stake was close, and yes, there it was! The soldier had finished checking under the other cot.

"Nothing here, sir." He grunted, and shifted himself back to his knees.

"Alright, check the other one." Ruby's voice said, imperiously. Yellow's jaw clenched, and her face went taught. Her fingers worked with a manic energy, and she could feel the stake getting looser. The man tossed his flames to the other hand, and began laboriously lowering himself flat again. His eyes glowed fiercely in the light as he looked under the bed. But no one was there.

"There isn't anyone under here either, prince Ruby." The soldier called.

"They must've known.." Ruby muttered.

"Hurry! Search the camp! We have to catch them before they leave!" Blaine shouted at the guards waiting outside, and they quickly scurried off.

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Red shot upright at the loud shouts and lights that flickered back and forth outside of the tent. He heard people running through the camp and one person stopped outside. Silently, Red slipped off the bed and clenched his fist. Whoever it was had better be prepared for a fireball to the face. The tent flap opened and Red caught sight of Al, the guard from earlier, poke his head in. It was only surprise that stopped Red from firing.

"Marley? Oh, and Buck too." Al said, looking slightly confused to see them there, "Didn't expect to see you here. Anyway, I might as well let you know, the camp's being searched for three people. There are two guys, and one girl who's apparently the Avatar. So if you see anything, give a shout okay?" And with that, Al left the tent. Red shook his head in wonder and thanked Sozin that the guard was such an idiot.

"Gold. Gold wake up. We've gotta go now." He shook his younger brother. With a slight shock, he noticed shiny tear tracts had dried on Gold's face, and realized that he had probably cried himself to sleep.

"Hn? What's happening?" Gold said drowsily, and yawned.

"Umm, well they're searching the camp for us. So we should probably make a run for it."

"Oh. What about Y-" Gold cut himself short with an awkward gulping noise, "Okay. Well we can't go in there looking like this," He plucked at his Fire Nation clothes, "so let's look for the supply tent and hopefully there'll be some Earth Kingdom outfits there or something."

"Sounds like a plan. Alright, let's go!" Red said. Gold stuck his head out of the flap, and gave a thumbs up, indicating that the coast was clear. Red followed him as he wove between tents, cooking fires that had burned down to embers, and tethered komodo rhinos that opened their eyes to stare sleepily at the two boys that furtively dashed past. Luckily, the only people they ran into were in such a hurry to look for the three fugitives, that they took no notice of the two boys cautiously sidling along in the shadows. Without incident, the two brothers managed to find their way to the center of the camp where they found a bored looking woman reclining in a chair, flicking sparks at a smile pile of twigs and dried grass in a monotonous manner and sitting in front of a large tent that was nearly bursting at the seams with crates and boxes.

"Looks promising." Red whispered to Gold from where they were watching the female guard in the shadows cast by a large rhino-drawn cart parked nearby.

"Yeah, if she hasn't moved despite all the ruckus then she's gotta be guarding something pretty important." Gold agreed.

"Well we need a good diversion. Man, she looks bored outta her mind…" Red said thoughtfully.

"Then let's give her something to get her into action." Gold grinned. He held up his pointer finger to show Red a small flame flickering at the the tip.

"You can't be-" Red gasped.

"Why not?"

"...I bet I'll regret this," Red sighed, "but okay. Let's do it."

The female guard gave a long and dramatic sigh and leaned back in her chair. She had scuffed up the tiny pile of twigs and grass with her foot as she sat in front of the supply tent with her helmet beside her, and had attempted to entertain her short attention span with the task of flicking sparks at it until it lit. The flames didn't take, and finally she tired of the game and blasted the sticks with a fireball instead. She sighed again, and her sleepy eyes glanced upwards from beneath drooping eyelids. They found ruddy smoke billowing up from… oh, Sozin's beard. She was up like a shot, bellowing at the top of her lungs and running towards the tents that had caught fire before she had fully processed what was actually happening, and didn't take notice of the two figures that silently slipped behind her and into the supply area.

"Success!" Gold said in a loud stage whisper. He was grinning like a psychopath, and Red fervently hoped that 'pyromaniac' wouldn't be on the list of Gold's possible future careers.

"You're _sure_ that nobody was in those tents, right?" Red questioned.

"I'm positive that there was no one in those tents. Probably."

" _Probably_?!"

"Re _laaaax_ big bro. There'll all out searching for us, remember?" Gold assured his brother as he rummaged through a crate that he had pried open.

"Hmmm, you check over there Red." He waved to the other side of the tent. Red gave an exasperated sigh, but did as Gold asked.

"Huh, why the heck don't they have Earth Kingdom clothes in here?" Gold asked angrily.

"Well seeing as the people in this camp are _Fire Nation_ , I don't think they really have a need for-"

"Psh, nah. It's just cuz they're idiots. If they had any sense they would try what we're doing now." Gold insisted.

"Well mom's in charge here after all. You know how she is, I'm sure she'd just want a good clean fight with 'em instead of sneaking and spying around." Red pointed out. Gold stood still for a minute and processed what his brother had just said.

"Hm, good point. I'd do the same thing. Probably. Oh well." He shrugged. Red silently thought that the apple really didn't fall far from the tree, especially between his little brother and mom.

"Hey Gold, c'mere and look at this. I think I may have found something." Red waved his sibling over.

"What is- oh. Smelly old guys in a cage." Gold said as he caught sight of the two men sitting in a dimly lit cage close to the back of the tent and half hidden behind mountains of crates.

"Look a bit closer why don't you." Red sighed, "They're from the _Earth Kingdom._ "

"Right. We'll let you out if you trade clothes with us." Gold informed the occupants of the cramped cage, catching sight of the traditional greens and yellows of Earth Kingdom clothing enveloping the two men. They nodded eagerly.

"Sure thing kid! My name's Grant by the wa-"

"Okay great. Thanks. Here." Gold interrupted, melting the lock of the cage and pulling his Fire Nation coverings over his head and tossing them to Grant. Red copied his younger brother and threw his to Grant's companion, a guy who gave Red a kind enough smile, but still managed to creep him out seeing as his eyes didn't look like they were open. He introduced himself as Brock. Brock and Grant hurriedly pulled on their new outfits, thanked the two firebenders quickly, and bolted.

"Well that was useful. Nice bargaining Gold." Red said.

"No biggie. Hurry up and get that on and let's get outta here." The golden-eyed boy shrugged.

"Right. Oh geez, we better get to the city fast," Red muttered, risking a glance out the entrance of the tent from behind a pile of boxes, "the sky's already getting light. It'll be morning pretty soon." He crept to the open flap, and peeked cautiously out for the second time, signalling urgently to Gold that the coast was clear. The second boy fell into step beside him as they dashed out of the supply tent and into the slowly brightening camp. Suddenly there was an outbreak of action and shouting from their left. A soldier had spotted them as they rushed by, and, Red realized with foreboding, they were now clad like earthbenders.

"Hey! Two Earth Kingdom kids, in camp!" Came the yells, and the ground shuddered under the many feet in pursuit.

"Oh shoot- what's the plan bro?" Gold panted.

"Run for your life to the city!" Red replied.

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Gold shouted, and sped up.

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Yellow lay flat on her back, breathless with fear and trembling. Her escape had been narrow, far too narrow. She had managed to free the stake and roll under the canvas wall before the soldier had spotted her, but it had done nothing to alleviate the fear of near-capture. Silently, she thanked Ultima for the warning. If she had not known about the approaching firebenders and gained a few precious seconds, she might have been caught. Speaking of that, she wasn't safe yet. And neither were her friends. Or, she gulped painfully, those that had been her friends until she had so stupidly taken for granted and accidentally driven them away. Her hands clenched into fists by her sides as fresh tears streamed down her face.

 _Red, Gold, please be safe… Please be behind the walls of Omashu where Ruby can't get to you…_

A scuff of a boot in the dirt snapped her out of her pool of misery and her body went rigid. Right, there were soldiers everywhere on the lookout for her.. and the other two… No. She knew them. They would be fine. They would get to Omashu no problem.

 _But they don't know about Ruby.. he'll set a trap for them even if they manage to get their mom out! Someone needs to warn them!_

Oh no. She leapt up, no longer caring if there was someone around the corner. She raced around it and indeed, there was a soldier standing there. He obviously wasn't expecting a small blond girl to come barreling around the side of the tent however, as he threw his arms up and gave a small shriek of surprise. Yellow knocked him over with a blast of air, and ran on. A few more soldiers tried to block her as she shot through the camp, running like the wind (literally), but were knocked out of the way.

 _I'm coming guys!_ She thought frantically .

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Red felt his breath becoming more ragged and tearing at his throat as it forced it's way through his tired lungs. His legs felt like jelly, and there was no denying that his stamina was fast running out. Suddenly, what felt like a strong wind rushed through. Red grabbed onto his brother, and though they stumbled, they managed to stay on their feet. The same couldn't be said for their pursuers however, and Red glanced over his shoulder to see the soldiers that had been chasing them sprawled in a tangle on the ground.

"What the heck was that?" Red asked.

"I dunno, probably the wind. Lucky break, let's go while they're still down." Gold grunted, and they continued onward towards the city, exhausted.

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Yellow sped onwards, towards the forbidding and towering wall of Omashu. She had left any signs of pursuit in the dust, including the large group she had knocked down as she passed earlier. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what such a huge group of soldiers had been doing running around, but the rest of her was praying with every fiber of her being that Red and Gold were inside the walls and safe. Well, as safe as you can be while planning a jailbreak. She gasped as the ground suddenly evened out and she could see the city clearly. She had forgotten how majestic it was, how its peak soared into the air and seemed to cleave the clouds. She hadn't been here in one hundred years. The people here were still friendly.. right? Or had the long war hardened their hearts to lumps of stone, like those that they threw at enemies? Yellow stared up at the forbidding stone wall looming in front of her, and gulped. The sky was overcast and gray, the clouds stiflingly close in the high altitude, and the lack of light making the long drop on either side of her all the more pronounced. Steeling her nerves, she stepped onto the narrow bridge of rock that spanned the huge gorge surrounding Omashu, and began making her way towards the high walls.

"Hey! Stop right there!" A voice shouted from high above her. Yellow squinted and made out a tiny figure mounted on the wall and pointing at her accusingly.

"Are you alone?!" The guard shouted.

"Y-yes! I am!" Yellow called back. The guard jumped down and landed in front of her. Yellow marvelled at how he could jump from such a height and still be unharmed, despite not being an airbender. She looked at the ground beneath his bare feet and realized that he had used the ground as a cushion.

"Are you from the Fire Nation?" He growled, holding a fist threateningly close to her face.

"N-no!" Yellow squeaked, almost going cross-eyed from trying to look at his curled fist.

"Are you a spy for the Fire Nation?"

"No! I'm not with the Fire Nation or involved with them at all! In fact, I just escaped their camp?" Yellow cried.

"Oh." The guard said, slightly disappointed, and lowered his hand to Yellow's intense relief.

"Why are you here then?"

"I'm here to see the king." Yellow replied evenly.

"Like I'd seriously let you in to see the king! Who do you think you are?" He bellowed.

"I-I'm.. I'm the Avatar." She said quietly.

"Hah! As if! Don't try to trick me in times of war, little girl." He leered at her, and she bristled slightly at the word 'little.'

"I'm not lying! I was friends with king Birch one hundred years ago!"

"King Birch? As in king Birch senior? DOn't make me laugh!" He chuckled nastily.

"Fine. I'll prove it. A-ask me anything about him." Yellow said evenly.

"Okay then! If you insist! what was king Birch's favorite snack?" The guard roared.

"Pickles with whipped cheese. Dipped in vinegar." Yellow answered, wrinkling her nose slightly at the memory of the foul snack. The guard's jaw dropped.

"H-how did you..?"

"Like I said, I'm the Avatar. Now could you please let me in?" Yellow asked, inwardly thankful that the question had not been any harder.

"Fine." The guard said in a strained voice. He whistled piercingly, and with a dull rumbling, the three walls that made up the entrance opened.

"Oh! I have a question…" Yellow began.

"What is it." The guard said in a surly voice.

"Has anyone else entered the city? Two boys maybe? Either this morning or last night…"

"I seen a guy selling cabbages, but not two boys. Welp, get in there Avatar." He shoved her unceremoniously towards the gate, and the walls began to close. She ran into the city quickly so that she wouldn't be crushed, but stopped stock still as soon as she was through. Red and Gold weren't here? How could that be? Maybe they had snuck in somehow.. That's right, they were from the Fire Nation after all, they might not have wanted to risk detection by going through the main entrance. Maybe they had found the secret entrance through the sewers? Oh, why hadn't she told them about it before? Because she hadn't want to help them. It was her fault, all her fault.

"Are _you_ the Avatar, then?" Yellow whipped around and noticed a woman who looked extremely bored.

"Um, y-yes, that's me."

"You're here to see the king, right? Well, follow me." She turned and began walking towards the center of the city, without looking back once. not knowing what else to do, Yellow, confused and terrified for her friends, followed her guide.

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Red and Gold didn't bother to take in the sights as they rushed full tilt towards Omashu. Which was understandable seeing as the Fire Nation soldiers had untangled themselves and resumed hunting them down.

"What the heck?! Where's the entrance?!" Red shouted as they pushed themselves forward down the narrow bridge.

"Maybe it'll open right before we get there! Just keep running!" Gold gasped in reply. They kept running. The walls didn't open.

"Okay... _OW_. Great thinking Gold." Red gasped as he clutched at his nose.

"How was I supposed to know?" Gold said mutinously as he rubbed his swollen cheek.

"HEY! WHO'RE YOU TWO?!" Came an angry voice from the top of the wall. Whoever it was that shouted jumped down next to the two boys.

"I'm Red, and this is my brother, Gold." Red said politely.

"I WASN'T ASKING FOR YOUR NAMES!" The guy shouted. He seemed to be irritated for some reason, as if he had just gone through a similar conversation.

"Oh. Well, what were you asking for then?" Red asked.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT IN OMASHU?!"

"There'sFireNationsoldierschasingusandwe'reOBVIOUSLYEarthKingdomkidssoletusthrough!" Gold shouted.

"Eh, uh, um…" The guard muttered, obviously trying to make out what Gold had said. He looked up and saw the approaching firebenders and panicked.

"AGH! OPEN THE GATE AND LETS US THROUGH!" He yelled. The entrance flew open and snapped shut almost as soon as they were through.

"Okay.." The guard wheezed, "so I still have a little questioning for you two.."

"See ya later!" Gold yelled over his shoulder as he dragged Red along into the city, ignoring the enraged guard's shouts. The brothers ducked behind pedestrians, down streets and through a crowded marketplace before finally stopping to catch their breath.

"There's no way he's still after us, right?" Gold wheezed.

"After that? No way. But maybe it'd be better if he did catch us…" Red panted.

"Why's that?" Gold questioned.

"Well, it's not like they're gonna let two kids just waltz into the cell of a top-tier prisoner, now are they? In fact, they probably won't let us near the prison at all. Unless-"

"Unless we get put in prison ourselves…" Gold breathed, eyes lighting up in excitement. Sometimes Red thought he should be concerned to what Gold deemed 'exciting.'

"Exactly. Actually, thinking back on it, it's probably not a good plan to get captured by that guard. Too many questions could lead to them knowing that we're firebenders. We don't want to be put in prison, just a holding cell for troublemakers that we can easily break out of and get to where mom is." Red said pensively.

"So we just need a little mix of mischief and slight property damage?" Gold said gleefully, and rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah… What are you plotting?" Red asked suspiciously.

" _Planning_ , not plotting, big bro." Gold admonished.

"Same thing when it comes to you…" Red muttered.

"Whatever. See those ramps that look like super slides?" Gold questioned, pointing at the Omashu delivery system.

"Yes? What- oh no. You can't be serious."

"Well big bro, I am."

 **A/N: Nehehehehe! I just had to put the delivery system superslide in! Can't skip that! (And will they meet the cabbage vendor? You shall see! XD) Welp, see you guys next week hopefully! And reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	11. The City of Omashu

**Okay, sorry for the delay! I actually finished this chapter on Monday (if I can remember correctly), but then I couldn't get onto my profile for some reason! I think some of you may have had a similar experience, and I'm not sure why it happened, but at least it's over now! So here you are, chapter eleven!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga.**

Ruby sat dispiritedly on a cushion in the general's tent, sipping at a cup of tea that Blaine insisted he drank, and staring at Flannery from across the low, polished wooden table.

"And you're _sure_ that they've entered Omashu?" He sighed, his red eyes flashing as they found Blaine.

"Positive, m'lord. They're nowhere to be found in the camp, and from what Flannery tells me, Omashu is the most likely place for them to be." Ruby turned back to the second-in-command of the camp.

"Why is that? I know that Omashu is the closest city where they can hide, but isn't it possible that they escaped on their flying bison?"

"With all due respect prince Ruby, they wouldn't." Flannery gulped, and shifted uncomfortably on her cushion. Ruby sighed, and gestured for her to continue.

"I-I didn't know that th-they were enemies of the F-Fire Nation, and I t-told them about the general b-being captured…"

"So they decided to try and rescue their mother on their own." Ruby sighed a second time, as he finished her sentence for her and put his cup down, "Ah well, it's not like they can do anything particularly harmful with the information. Besides, it will only benefit us if they actually succeed. It might make taking Red and Gold in a little more difficult if we add the general to the mix, but we needed some way to break her out. We can set a trap for them when they come back out of the city."

"Wh-what if they get captured by Birch too?" Flannery questioned tentatively.

"...I'm really hoping that it won't come to that. I don't want to get involved with that man. You could say that we have a.. history." Ruby closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"So… we want them to succeed?" Flannery asked.

"Yes."

"So if there was any way to possibly aid them, then you should speak up now Flannery." Blaine stated, topping off her cup with freshly brewed jasmine tea.

"Well, I was just thinking that.. if we were to attack the walls again, it m-might provide them with a distraction and an opportunity to free the general…" Flannery stammered, not touching her china cup.

"That's a good idea.." Ruby muttered, "And that would also give us the chance to set up a trap without any interruption from the guards on the wall." He nodded decisively.

"You want to go through with this plan then, m'lord? The general's life may be at risk if we try to attack." Blaine asked.

"Of course. It'll be a gamble, but I believe that the abilities of Red, Gold and the Avatar should be sufficient to get her out before anything happens. They'll have the element of surprise. Alright then, inform the soldiers will you Flannery?" She gulped, nodded and exited the tent quickly, leaving her tea to go cold on the table.

"Ah, what a shame." Blaine shook his head and stared sadly at her cup.

"Blaine." Ruby said, in a deeply serious tone.

"What is it?" Blaine questioned, slightly alarmed at the tone of voice the prince was using.

"I still haven't restocked my yarn!" Ruby shouted.

"Ah. Right away." The manservant sighed in relief.

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"Y'know Gold, I thought this was a good idea, but I should've known better." Red squeaked.

"Are you saying this _isn't_ a good idea? Are you kidding? It's genius! When have I _ever_ had a bad plan?" His brother laughed.

"Every plan that you've made in the past week has been terrible." Red grumbled. You couldn't really blame him for his nerves. The two firebenders (plus Pika, who had come out from hiding in Red's shirt and was now wrapped around his head) were sitting in a small clay crate, and teetering dangerously at the brink of an incredibly steep, not to mention high, slide of sorts. Despite his fragile position, Red had to admire the ingenuity of the Omashu delivery system. Since the entire city was built on a mountain, gravity easily pulled parcels and crates down the steep runways, whereas to go up, it implemented the powers of earthbenders. It was foolproof. And much faster than the messenger hawks the Fire Nation used. But it was also probably not meant to be used as a slide.

"Well what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Gold shouted excitedly. Red took another glance down at the dizzy spiral of rooftops leading down to the road which was a _very_ long drop below him, and tried to swallow down the fear. No dice.

"Gold, I-I don't think we should- maybe- no, wait! Stop! NOOOOOO!" Under normal circumstances, Red would have been embarrassed at the piercingly high scream he let out, but these were far from normal circumstances. Gold gleefully pushed off, and they hurtled into space, the bottom of the crate barely scraping the track as they were as good as freefalling. The track began to flatten out slightly, and they hit it with a resounding thud. Then they were hurtling forward at a speed neither of them had ever experienced before, and they were whipping around a huge bend, and then the positions had been reversed. Red was laughing hysterically as the wind threw his messy hair back and tugged at the corners of his mouth, while Gold screamed at the top of his lungs and started to look slightly sick when they hit two more tight turns and a sudden drop. Red's laughs quickly changed to screams of horror once more when the runway flattened out again and he saw a crate sitting motionless before them. They both sighed in relief when two of the earthbenders standing on a platform off of the track raised the crate to the next level, but then screamed yet again when another crate was lifted back in front of them. They crashed into it, and fell off of the track spinning downwards and gripping the sides of their box for dear life. Pika screeched as the bottom of the container hit the shingles of a roof and slid onto another building below, somehow only gaining momentum as opposed to losing it.

They fell onto another roof, and from that flew through a window, bounced off of the floor (with an ominous crunch of china, as if they had accidentally just crushed a masterpiece some artist had been working on), and out through another window. Red tried to yell an apology over his shoulder, but the ferocious wind whipped the words away before they could escape. Somehow, their crate had found its way onto another track of the delivery system. Red barely heard Gold give a pained groan, and fervently hoped that the track would run out soon, as he _really_ didn't want to be barfed on, on top of having the living daylights scared out of him. It couldn't get any worse, right?

Red immediately regretted thinking those words, as he noticed another crate had appeared behind them and was carrying a rack of spears. Unfortunately, the pointy ends were facing towards the two brothers. Red thought that he probably should try and maintain some calm in a life-threatening situation such as this, but he couldn't help it. So he screamed. Again. Then he grabbed the front of Gold's shirt and forced him to duck into the safety of the crate and beneath the spears, while he himself leaned as far forward as he could to try and avoid being impaled.

"...nough.." Red made out Gold's moan over the wind.

"What?!" He asked, well, shrieked is more accurate.

"Had.. enough.. feel..si..ck.." Gold managed, and began forcefully rocking the crate sideways.

"Gold! Stop! We're gonna fa- AAAAAAAHHH!" Red yelled, as his younger brother succeeded in rolling the container over the low restraining wall of the track and into a freefall once more. They landed with a heavy crash, and the sound of splintered wood filled the air.

"MY CABBAGES!" A cry rent the air, and Red opened his eyes to discover that he and Gold were quite unharmed (aside from Gold staggering up and immediately barfing), but the same couldn't be said for the cabbage stand that they had landed on. A man was standing above them, pulling at his hair and hopping from foot to foot in rage.

"Y-ya ruined mah cabbages!" He shouted again, pointing accusingly at Red.

"Oh. Umm… I'm sorry Mr…" Red began.

"Bill! Th' name's Bill! And Ah hope you git thrown in jail for a few days ta think about what'cha did to my precious stock! Here're the guards now!" Bill said angrily. Red glanced over at Gold. Gold gave wiped his mouth and gave him a shaky thumbs-up.

"Told ya my plans always work. And wasn't that kinda awesome?" He grinned. Red shoved him over.

"Halt! We're taking you two into custody for the unwarranted destruction of roof shingles, a custom-made piece of pottery (Red winced as he remembered the tinkling sound of crushed china), and the vicious murder of cabbages!" The first guard stated officiously.

"You can murder cabbages?" Gold questioned.

"Shuttup!" Bill wailed.

"Please come quietly or we will have to use force!" The guard continued, ignoring the interruptions. Red and Gold willingly held out their hands and two more men came up and cuffed them. The two firebenders were led away from the smashed pieces of the crate and cabbage stand, and as Red walked he wondered how on earth their plan was working so smoothly.

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Yellow was barely paying attention as she was led into a huge building in the center of the city and through multiple sets of doors flanked with armed guards. The woman in front of her never stopped, and Yellow followed her automatically, the task of walking being shoved into a corner of her mind as the rest was occupied with concern for her friends. She didn't realize the woman had stopped until she ran into her.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry.." Yellow's apologies trailed off as she gazed at the room she found herself in. It was long and wide, the walls and floors were constructed of polished stone blocks and everything seemed to be tinted green. Yellow realized that the cause of this was the glowing green crystals that formed the only light source in the space. An emerald carpet led to a large throne, that gave off an air of both elegance and power. The same could not be said for the man crumpled in its seat. His face was lined with worry and regret, and he was unkempt in every aspect. The air was heavy, and if Yellow hadn't know better she might have thought that he was the old king that she once came to visit, worn down by the one hundred years that had passed since their last meeting. Indeed, the current king Birch was a spitting image of his grandfather, but he seemed a man ragged beyond his years. The weight of a city at war was pressing heavily on his shoulders. Birch looked up as Yellow stood in the center of the hall, and a brief smile crossed his lips.

"Ah! The Avatar I presume?" He orated, in a voice dripping with false confidence.

"Y-yes, that's me. My name is Yellow. Thank you for letting me into your palace, king Birch." Yellow replied in a quiet voice.

"Not at all my dear! And did you say your name was Yellow? Surely not the same Yellow that my grandfather was always speaking of?" Birch said, jovially enough.

"The very same, sir."

"But it's been one hundred years! And you can't be any more than thirteen!"

"Fourteen, actually. I was frozen in an iceberg you see."

"Ah! It all makes sense now. Don't worry, I won't hold a grudge for your disappearance. Although, the Earth Kingdom is in sore need of your assistance in the war." Birch said seriously, and leaned forward in his throne.

"I know sir, and I intend to make up for my long absence. I wasn't even aware that there was a war until I woke up not that long ago!" Yellow said.

"Hmm. That's good to hear. Now excuse me, but I think we will both be more comfortable sitting at a table together with food to shove in our faces, no?" Birch hauled himself to his feet and straightened his lab coat. The he beckoned Yellow to follow him. He led her through a few more impressive, echoing hallways and through many more doors flanked with armed guards before reaching their destination. It was another lonely room with too much space, and in the center, a long table had been laid with a full feast. Birch took the seat at the head of the table, and motioned Yellow to sit at the foot. She perched uncomfortably at the edge of her chair, and tried to ignore the awkwardly heavy silence.

"Take some food, Yellow." Birch offered.

"Oh, thank you for the kind offer king Birch, but I'm a vegetarian and most of the food here seems to be meat dishes." Yellow politely declined.

"Shame." Birch sighed, and tore voraciously at a pig sow leg.

"I'm sorry sir, but I couldn't help but noticing how empty it is in here. Does anyone else live with you?" Yellow said, attempting to strike up some sort of conversation and quell the terrible silence. Birch's back abruptly straightened, and he stared coldly at Yellow. His leg of meat clattered as it fell on the plate in front of him.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend-"

"It's alright. You were just curious, I understand." The king waved away her hasty apology, "But, I admit I did want to speak with you about a more personal matter. Which involves your question, incidentally."

"What is it?" Yellow asked, curious despite touching upon a sensitive subject.

"It's my.. my daughter, you see.." Birch began breathing more quickly, "Six years ago she was injured in a Fire Nation raid. I-I've searched the kingdom for someone to help her.. but in private. I've tried… tried to keep her safe."

"Is she here, king Birch?" Yellow questioned in a quiet voice.

"No! No, heavens no. I can barely keep my own city safe, can you imagine what would happen if they were to get in? ...I sent her away, to somewhere else in the Earth Kingdom. She should be well protected, there's a very trustworthy guardian looking after her… but I want to be absolutely certain. And I want to know if there's any way to help her. And who walks in but the Avatar? ...Yellow, I can't imagine anyone better to look after her. Can I please ask you for this favor? Can you please find my daughter and see if there's any way to help her?" Birch looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes. Yellow gulped.

"B-but how-"

"And there's no need to worry about avenging her or anything!" Birch said hurriedly, "I'm already taking care of that! I won't saddle you with killing anyone-"

"Killing?" Yellow asked, horrified.

"Yes, yes, I've captured one of the Fire Lord's top generals, she's being held in a cell beneath the palace. She is to be executed quite soon. But you don't need to worry about that. All I ask is that you go to my daughter. Will you do this for me? Please?" The king pleaded. Yellow's mind was in turmoil. On one hand, she didn't want to refuse the simple request, especially from the grandchild of her old friend, whom she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to before being trapped in the ice. But on the other…

 _He's planning on killing Red and Gold's mom!_ Yellow thought frantically. The king was still staring at her with those pleading eyes. If she stayed quiet much longer, he would suspect something was up. She needed to say something, anything!

"Yes, of course I will your majesty!" Yellow blurted. Birch smiled.

"Thank you so, so much Yellow. Just hearing that has already reassured me." The king slumped in his chair, relieved. Yellow was saved from miring in the horror of what she had just heard when a tiny man with round spectacles and a lab coat that matched king Birch's rushed into the dining hall.

"Ah! Yellow, this is my assistant-" Birch began wearily.

"I'm sorry for the interruption king Birch, b-but.. THEY'RE ATTACKING!" The assistant screeched, and promptly started hyperventilating.

"WHAT?!" The crumpled and defeated man was instantly replaced by strength and rage, "They dare… well. They know that the life of their general is at risk, so it'll be their own fault when she dies. And then the Fire Lord will wreak havoc on them for the death of his top general. Come, why don't we take care of her now?" Birch stood decisively, a strange, hungry fire burning in his eyes.

"Come along Yellow. I'm sure you're just as eager to see a blow struck against the Fire Lord than I am to avenge my daughter." The king said jovially.

 _No, no I'm not. I won't let you._ Yellow thought fiercely, and clenched her fists, _And I'm going to find an appropriate time to tell you that this is wrong!_ Outwardly, she smiled.

"Coming your majesty!" She said cheerfully, and trotted after him.

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"Reeeeed, I'm booooooored." Gold whined from where he was lying on the single metal bed-frame. The cell where they had been thrown into was, in Gold's words, 'too gross and uncomfortable to be a holding cell.' And Red had to agree. It was pretty dismal, and it made him think of how much worse a permanent jail cell would be. The metal bed-frame that Gold had occupied was without blankets, pillows and mattress, and the only other object (for it really couldn't be called furniture) adorning the space was a bucket. No need to ask what that was for. The cell was dank, dripping, and dim. And neither of them was eager to spend more time than necessary in it. To Gold's dismay, Red had decided that they wouldn't leave the cell until there was no guards in sight. By his reasoning, if the guards knew that there were firebenders in the palace, they would send a lot more troops after them than if they thought it was just a couple of kids.

"There's nothing I can do about that little bro." Red sighed from where he was sitting perched on the end of the bed-frame. Gold flopped over onto his stomach, placed his chin on his hands, and flashed Red his signature grin.

"We could talk about loooove~" Gold said in a sing-song voice. Red stiffened.

"Bad subject at the moment." He forced through clenched teeth.

"Oh, right." Gold seemed to shrink slightly, "Sorry." They sat in silence for a few minutes, while Gold tried to think of something else to talk about.

"I still can't believe that you let Crystal go so easily, I mean, you're usually so persistent." Red finally spoke, startling Gold.

"Maybe, but it took a lot of pestering to get her to a point where she could talk to me without trying to maim me. I didn't want to push it, she's too serious for her own good, y'know? And besides, we'll meet again. I can feel it!" Gold jumped up and stood on top of the bed-frame, one hand clasped dramatically over his heart and the other flung out wide. Suddenly, the ground rumbled slightly and Gold fell face-first into Red's lap.

"What's happening?!" Red jumped up, and Gold rolled off and onto the floor.

"Red, bro! Not cool!" He yelled as he struggled to get off of the gross, wet cement. Red absentmindedly pulled his brother up and dusted him off.

"It's gotta be earthbending, but why?" Red muttered, using the bed as a stepping stool and trying to peer out of the tiny, barred window that was placed so high up the wall it practically touched the ceiling. A fireball landed on the ground directly outside of the window and exploded. Sparks flew through the window bars, and Red fell backwards in shock.

"Sozin's BEARD!" He shouted.

"What's happening?" Gold asked excitedly, jumping to try and peek through the window.

"Get down! The Fire Nation's attacking, and from what I can tell, the earthbenders are fighting back!" Red hissed, grabbing the back of Gold's shirt and pulling him away from the window.

"Wait, the Fire Nation's attacking?! Right now?! Why the heck would they do that?!" Gold questioned incredulously.

"I don't know, seeing as one of their own is captured… Oh no. Oh no, no, nonono, this is bad!" Red gasped, realization dawning on him.

"What's bad?" Gold looked at him confusedly.

"If they attack now, then.. then.. the king might hurt mom!" Red stammered.

"Oh my god.. then what're we waiting for?!" Gold yelled, realizing the enormity of the situation. He rushed to the door, flames already dancing over his hands. They flashed white as he placed them on the door handle. The handle flared red and oozed downwards, melting away until all that was left was a hole. Gold kicked the door violently, and it flew open, giving them a clear view down the hall. There was not a guard in sight. Red silently thanked his lucky stars as he raced through the prison corridor, and wondered if the Fire Nation had intended to create the perfect distraction. But it wouldn't matter if they didn't find their mom in time. Red briefly wondered if Yellow had gotten out of the camp safely, and if she was hiding in the mountains with Chuchu, or safely flying away to find and earth and waterbending master…

"This way, Red!" Gold panted, indicating a flight of stair that led down into inky blackness. The sickening stench of mold and rotten food wafted up from below. Definitely what they were looking for. Another rumble as the palace shook in its foundation. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and Red had to wonder just what the earthbenders were doing to make the ground shake this much. The brothers rounded a corner, passing miserable inmates and sputtering torches. They had to be getting close now, any minute they would find the cell where there mom was kept, they had to, before…

King Birch stood in the hallway in front of them. His eyebrows were raised in shock and he was wavering, unsure of what to do. He was standing before a thick, iron door with a ring of keys clutched tightly in his hand, and next to him was…

Yellow.

 **Do you guys remember Bill's accent? He had one in the RBGY arcs, but then lost it in the newer series. Which is unfortunate because it's hilarious XD (Sorry to torture you Bill, we all love you!) Also, I may have put in the king Birch's father was the one Yellow was friends with in a past chapter, but while writing this one I realized that that didn't make sense with the one hundred year gap, so I changed it to his grandfather. Sorry if that was confusing. And hahaha! I'm not giving you Sapph that easily! Muahahaha! I feel evil..**

 **Hope you like the chapter! And reviews are very much appreciated!**


	12. The Fall

**Okay first off, sorry about missing last week! My reason for that? I was working on Myracels's birthday present which some of you might have read. I've also been chatting with an awesome person and writer who you should all go and check out! His name's Falneou17, and has some really fun and awesome stories, not to mention is a really, really nice guy! And of course, my time has been consumed by school. Anyways, I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter, but I have my reasons!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga**

"Yellow?" Red stopped dead and Gold crashed into him from behind, "No.. no, no why are you here? Why are you with.. with _him_?!"

"Oh god.. oh Sozin are you on his side? Are you here to hurt our mom too?!" Gold shouted, horror mixing with anger on his face.

"You two. _You two_ are this filthy lowlife's _children_?! How did you get in the palace?! How-" Birch was interrupted mid-rant as he was knocked flat on his face by a strong gust of wind. Yellow plucked the keys right out of his hands.

"Calm down guys! I'm not with him!" She tossed Red the keys and threw her arms in the air as a sign of submission, "Don't worry, I'm on your side!"

"Like we'd believe that! Why would you come to be on our side _now_? After what you said? Do you know how much you hurt us?!" Gold yelled, fists clenching. Yellow's arms slowly fell to her side and her chin dropped to her chest. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she silently nodded.

"I-I know.. because I went through it too…" She said quietly. Gold glared at her, trying to think of a comeback, but he came up blank. Yellow sniffed and peeked up at Red, who hadn't said a word.

"R-Red… Gold.. I'm so sorry! This is my fault!" She cried, her breath hitching in her throat.

"...We can talk about this later. Let's just get out of here alive first. _All_ of us." Red said in a low voice, before striding past Yellow and sliding the key into the rusty lock and turning it. Suddenly, he was thrown to the side.

"NO! I won't allow it! I _will_ get my revenge, here and now! And I'll start with you three!" Birch was back on his feet, and had tossed Red aside like a ragdoll. His eyes were bloodshot, his breath ragged, and his hair disheveled. Rage was twisting his features, and he held his trembling fists in front of him, in a threatening stance.

" _Red_!" Gold screamed, running towards his brother. The floor beneath his feet suddenly changed from solid blocks of stone to a deep pool of quicksand, and Gold immediately sunk to his waist.

"Gold!" Yellow shrieked.

"Not so fast, you!" Birch hissed, and before Yellow could make another move, she was trapped between two huge blocks of stone. It was all she could do to keep them from crushing her. She let out a huge gust of wind from her mouth, but rock enveloped the maniacal king's feet, holding him in place.

"A little wind won't hurt a rock, _Avatar_." He spat in contempt, "To think you were going behind my back this whole time.. that you were with the _children_ of my enemy… What are you? Aren't you the Avatar? You're supposed to protect the innocent! Doesn't your conscience haunt you? You left the _world_ at the mercy of the Fire Nation. And they took it, they attacked and destroyed, and killed! And when you finally return, what do you do? Do you redeem your absence by helping those who need it? NO! You join the enemy! Oh, we're all doomed now!"

"M-maybe you're right.." Yellow gasped, the breath being squeezed out of her frame, "It's _never_ right to kill… but, that goes for you too! No more lives are going to be.. taken!"

"You're too naive! That'll never happen, all we can do is-" But Birch's sentence was cut short as the cell door he was standing in front of slammed open and into him, and he fell to the floor. A woman strode nonchalantly out and into the hallway. She was wearing the familiar red plate armour of the Fire Nation, a headband covered her forehead and a small piece of hair that was reminiscent of Gold's impressive bangs flopped over the top, while the rest of her hair was in two, large loops. The rocks that had trapped Yellow fell back to the floor, and Yellow gasped for breath.

"Mom!" Gold yelled, relief and glowing happiness spreading across his face. Red groggily lifted his head, gave a woozy smile.

"Well now Birch, I could hear you attacking my children out here. That's a big no-no. Maybe you'd understand, after all, you're _a_ _parent too._ " The general smirked as she parroted the king's words back at him. He trembled slightly, but, to his credit, got back to his feet.

"Fine. Now that you're out I'll just do it here-" He wheezed, but was interrupted by a furious kick to the stomach.

"You know you're right, I was pretty frustrated by my capture. But I can take it all out on you now." Red and Gold's mom sneered as she rained merciless blows down on Birch, who was crawling along the floor, shouting in a hoarse voice for the guards. With a grimace of anger, she drew back her fist and ignited it.

"No! Wait, stop please!" Yellow shouted.

"Why should she?" Gold growled, "He's getting what he deserves!"

"I know, I realize he was going to kill you ma'am, but… but hurting him in revenge isn't going to help anything! Revenge is what drove him to this in the first place!" Yellow cried desperately, struggling to her feet, "If we're caught in a cycle of revenge, then we'll never escape! Please, you have to break it! Leave it at this!"

"Mom, she's right.. leave it at this. We need to get out of here.." Red said, pulling himself to his feet and making his way over to his mother and brother with unsteady steps. He grabbed Gold by the hands and heaved him out of the sand pit.

"Let's go, the guards will be coming soon." Red told his mom.

"Let 'em." She growled in response. Red shook his head in exasperation, and Yellow decided that the apple really didn't fall all that far from the tree, especially when it came to Gold's hard-headed, stubborn attitude.

"Mom, we're in bad shape and we need to get out. Listen to Yellow, what she says is right."

"Yeah? Well who is that Yellow girl anyway? And another thing… _What the heck do you two think you're doing in the EARTH KINGDOM_?!" The general hissed, turning on her two sons, who shrank back. She gave them both a solid whack upside the head.

"Owch! Aw c'mon mom, that was totally uncalled for! We just saved your life!" Gold whined, rubbing his head ruefully.

" _By_ breaking the rules!" His mom said ferociously, "...But I guess maybe we can call it even. Anyway, who is that girl, huh?"

"Umm…" Red rubbed the back of his head, "Okay mom, to be perfectly honest, we're in some trouble, and we can't tell you about it right now. So let's just get out of here while we still can, okay? Then we'll tell you everything."

"You two got in trouble?! Ugh.. and I had hoped that you might be more like your dad… fine. We'll talk later. Now, let's go!" Their mom sighed, and then charged down the hallway and towards the stairs.

"Wow… she's a bit.." Yellow began.

"Eccentric? Yep." Gold finished, and flashed her a grin, before suddenly realizing what he was doing and looking away quickly.

"Let's go then." Red said, and ran after the general, with Gold and Yellow following suit.

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"Is everything in place?" Ruby asked in a commanding tone.

"Yes prince Ruby, the ambush squad is standing by and is ready for the Avatar, the general, Buck and Marley." The guard, who happened to be Al, reported with a sharp salute.

"Buck and Marley..? Who the heck are they?" Ruby spun around to stare quizzically at the hapless soldier.

"Uh.. uh.. aren't those the two-"

"He means Red and Gold, your honor." Flannery interrupted nervously.

"Oh. But why did he say-"

"It doesn't matter!" Flannery spoke loudly, "I-I mean.. I'm sorry, I'll just go check on the troops again.." She blanched with fear, and ran off towards where the ambush was waiting, hidden behind a few scrubby bushes clinging to the craggy mountainside. ruby let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Why are people always afraid of me..." He whispered.

"Pardon, m'lord?" Blaine strode up behind him.

"Nothing. I was just pondering- Oh! Blaine, look behind you!"

"What?!" Blaine yelped in alarm, whirling around.

"The sunset.. it's BEAUTIFUL!"

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Yellow was impressed by how easily they got out of the city. For someone who had been imprisoned for a few weeks, the general sure didn't fight like it. If anything, she seemed to be more fired up than ever before, and forcefully beat any earthbender that entered her line of sight out of the way. Compared to how hard it was to get into the palace (especially for Red and Gold), getting out was a breeze. All the three young benders had to do was follow in the wake of the raging woman, with Red and Yellow continually reminding her not to hurt the earthbenders. She listened, or at least, she didn't hurt them _too_ badly.

"HEY! YOU TWO!" A voice bellowed. Red, Gold and Yellow looked up with a start, realizing that they had made it back to the gate, and the guard who had given them a hard time earlier was shouting at them.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES THAT RAN OFF BEFORE I COULD QUESTION YOU!" He jumped down from the wall, his face a brilliant shade of red. Gold gasped dramatically.

"Mommy! This big scary guy chased us earlier!" He cried, in an incredibly childish voice. The general whipped around.

"YOU. WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. TO. MY. BOYS." She hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. Gold winked at Red. The poor guard gulped, turned, and tried to escape. It didn't work.

"...Your mom is really protective of you two…"

"Hey pal," The general said threateningly, "open the gate." She picked the poor guard up off of the ground and set him on his feet. He swayed dangerously, but still managed to signal to his companions on the wall (who were too busy cowering in fear to come to his rescue) to open the entrance. They complied, nearly tripping over themselves in their haste.

"Remind me how they captured you again?" Gold asked, earning himself a punch in the shoulder.

"They didn't. ...They jumped me while I was napping." His mom admitted.

"And why haven't you been able to break in before now?" Red added.

"Psh, 'cause all they did was chuck rocks at us from behind the wall." She snorted, and then thought for a moment, "I suppose I could just take over the city now…" She began to turn around.

"Oh! But wouldn't it be more fun to try and break back in from the outside?" Yellow suggested, in a desperate attempt to stop the general. She turned her head slowly to stare at Yellow, who shrunk away from her deadly glare.

"You know, you have a point there." The general slapped Yellow across the back, "That _would_ be more fun!" She laughed and stepped out briskly onto the narrow rock bridge separating the city of Omashu from the surrounding Kolau mountains. Yellow gaped at her retreating back.

"Yep, she's a double-edged sword." Red informed Yellow before following his mother. Gold rushed after his family without saying a word. Yellow sighed sadly as she made her way out to the center of the bridge. Then she turned to take one last look back at the city. Her eyes widened.

" _Red, Gold_!" She screamed, as the bridge crumbled beneath their feet and the four benders were thrown into the dark abyss before any of them could react.

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"What's happening? Why did the bridge just collapse?" Ruby shot to his feet, shading his eyes against the bright sun in order to view the huge crevasse where the narrow bridge was no more.

"The earthbenders, m'lord!" Blaine said, rushing to keep pace with the prince, who had struck out for the bottom of the mountain where the ambush group had tucked themselves away behind the scrubby bushes clinging halfheartedly to the rocks.

"But what about the Avatar and the general? How will they get out now?!" Ruby asked, frantically adjusting his hat.

"Them getting out isn't the problem any more, m'lord." Blaine sighed through his mustache.

"What do you mean?" Ruby glanced sideways at his manservant.

"Well it seems that the Avatar, the general, Red and Gold were _on_ the bridge when-"

" _What_?! You mean they fell in?!" Ruby stopped dead. Blaine nodded in conformation. The prince began to sprint.

"No… no no no NO. They can't have, they can't have fallen, they can't be…" Ruby left the last thought unspoken as he sped downwards, "I _need_ to capture the Avatar! So much depends on it!"

 **A/N: Okay, I know that was a short chapter, but the cliffhanger was too good to pass up! Sorry guys, I just had to! And to make it up to you all, I'm going to try and pump another one out tomorrow. But until then, I'll just leave you to wonder.. Muahahahaha! XD Also, I dunno about you, but I'm getting really tired of the Omashu arc, and I'm just letting you all know that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! We're almost outta here!**

 **One more thing before I forget; I finally got around to drawing Red and Gold in their Fire Nation clothes! I haven't colored them yet, but the lineart's up on dA (My username is the same as this one)! I'm really happy with how Red came out, but Gold... I'm so sorry... ;-;**

 **Reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	13. The Rescue

**(Whoops, sorry, reuploading the chapter. Accidentally deleted it... Don't worry, nothing changed!) ...Wow. So, I owe all of you a big, fat, huge, gigantic, enormous apology. In the last chapter I published, I said I would try and get this one up the next day. ...Seeing as how it has been months since, I really didn't keep that promise. All I can say to that is I AM SO, SO SORRY. I honestly have zero excuses, and I feel terrible about it. I also owe two specific people (you know who you are) an even bigger apology. I'm so sorry, you both are really important to me, and I can't believe I've done such a terrible job trying to keep in contact with you both despite your efforts. I don't know how to make it up to you.**

 **...I'm not going to make promises anymore, because I'm too scared I'll break them. The only promise I will make, and will keep** ** _no matter what,_** **is that I'm never going to abandon this story, no matter how much time passes between chapters, which will hopefully never be as long as this again.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga**

Red's eyes watered as the wind stung them. He tried to yell, but all sounds were forcefully shoved down his throat before he could even make a sound. He was falling. The bridge had collapsed, and he was falling, along with Gold, his mom, and Yellow. He wasn't going to make it. All four of them were spiraling through space towards their end, and he hadn't even gotten the chance to make up with Yellow yet. All he could see was the dark depth of the abyss, flying towards him, and all he could hear was the drumming of rocks as rubble from the bridge rained down all around him, bouncing off the sides of the canyon and missing him by some miracle.

All of a sudden Red jerked to a halt. he cried out as ropes caught around his body and tightened painfully, stopping his fall abruptly and knocking the breath from his lungs. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt himself be jerkily pulled up, over the lip of the crevice and onto solid ground. Gasping for breath, he craned his neck to try and make sense of his situation. He was safe. But what about the others? He sighed in relief as he caught sight of Gold's explosive bangs, his mom's armor, and Yellow's blond ponytail amidst the tangle of ropes that was wrapped around the four of them. He looked up as a shadow fell across his face, and saw Flannery standing over him, clutching the ends of one of the cords. Concern was written over her face.

"Red! Are you okay?" She gasped, "Thank goodness we had nets out and ready!"

"I think so… gonna have some bad rope-burn, but… are the others good?" Red groaned.

"Yeah, they're breathing and unharmed." Flannery chewed on her lip, "Sozin's _beard_ , you four gave me a scare!"

"Yeah… that was probably one of the more terrifying things I've ever done," Red leaned back with a sigh, "including using the Omashu delivery system as a slide. But mission accomplished, right?" He gave a weak grin, and worked his arm out from the snarled net in a limp thumbs-up. He closed his eyes and tried to master his breathing. Flannery's voice droned on, but he paid it no heed. It faded into a faint buzz in the background.

"Prince Ruby!"

"Flannery! Wh-what happened?" Red frowned as recognized Ruby's voice, and made an effort to open his eyes.

"We saw them fall when the bridge collapsed. Luckily we had the nets out and ready to go, and were able to catch them."

"Thank Sozin… oh thank Sozin…"

"My lord… are you alright?" Blaine's voice was evident now.

"Yes.. yes I'm fine. I just… all would have been lost. Thank you, Flannery. All right, well, get the Avatar."

"Of course m'lord." At that, Red sat up, struggling to wriggle from the tangle of ropes, and aimed a fireball at the back of Blaine's head. The older man turned and easily dissipated it.

"No offense young'un, but you're in condition to try to stop me."

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do!" Red spat, "You can't have her!"

"Sorry Red, but we can." Ruby said coldly. Blaine picked Yellow up and tore a few lengths of cord from the nets, using them to quickly and effectively truss her up. He then threw her over his shoulder, where she hung, limp and still unconscious from the shock. Red curled his fists into balls, paying no heed to the fact that they were still trembling in fright of his near-death fall. He heard a rustling behind him, and realized that his mother had come-to, and had gotten to her feet.

"Prince Ruby? What are you doing here? I've got Omashu under control." The general said defensively.

"Oh I know. I'm here on my mission to capture the Avatar." Ruby gestured to Yellow.

"The… Avatar…?" The general's mouth slackened as she stood, attempting to digest the meaning of what the prince had just revealed.

"Mom… Mom, _listen to me_. I need to save her, I _need_ to! Help me!" Red said loudly.

"Your sons betrayed the Fire Nation. They ran off with the _Avatar_ and tried to protect her. The Fire Lord was quite angry. But, I'm letting them off the hook seeing as they helped get you out of prison." Ruby said, grimly, "I'll be taking my leave, so I would hope I'm not met with any resistance from the Fire Nation's top general…"

" _Shut up_!" Red screamed, and tried to shoot a stream of fire at Ruby's hideous, sneering face. But somebody grabbed his arm before he could do so.

"Mom..? Why-"

"So _that's_ what happened, huh? I was wondering who she was." Her grip on Red's arm tightened, "You two ran away from home.. to help the _Avatar_? We've got some talking to do…" She practically hissed the last sentence, her eyes are hard and bright as shards of metal.

"No mom, you don't understand. Stop. _Stop_! I need to help her! What are you doing?! LET ME HELP HER!" Red howled, flailing as he tried in vain to escape his mother's iron grip. She barely reacted to his struggles, and calmly grabbed Gold, swinging his unconscious form over her shoulder in much the same way that Blaine had done to Yellow. Without another word to the prince or his manservant, the general turned on her heel, and walked up the mountain towards the camp, ignoring her son's wails of protest.

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Yellow woke up with a start, surprised that she was still alive and breathing. She slowly sat up, realizing that there were ropes binding her wrists, and that the cold, metal floor was rocking back and forth…

She was on a ship. In an instant, Yellow recalled the fall, and the ropes that had caught her at the last second, the jolt knocking consciousness from her. And now she was on a ship, cords restricting her movement, and a heavy iron door keeping her from leaving the cramped place. How ironic. She had been shoved in a cell right after helping rescue another person from one. She had no doubt of the identity of her captor either. Ruby had gotten her at last, and she was most likely on a one-way ride to the Fire Nation.

" _Well that won't do at all, now will it? Ehehehehehe!"_ A voice echoed around her head.

" _Ultima?"_ Yellow thought, and closed her eyes. The old lady was floating in the darkness, cackling.

" _Yep, it's me young'n! You got yerself captured after all, eh?"_

" _I guess so…"_ Yellow sighed.

" _Well what are you going to do about it?"_ The elderly woman tutted. Yellow had trouble keeping her eyes off of Ultima's fascinating snaggle-teeth.

" _What_ can _I do?"_

" _You can bust outta here, of course!"_

" _Bust out? I'm in a locked, metal cell!"_

" _Yeah, you are. So they'll have to come in to feed you at some point, right? And who here's gonna successfully stop the Avatar? Eheeehehehehehe!"_ Ultima snorted.

" _Oh. I see."_ Yellow replied, rather lamely. She opened her eyes and Ultima vanished.

"Looks like it's waiting time, then." She said aloud, and shifted into a position where she could launch herself at anyone coming through the door.

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"My lord, are you alright? You seem to be very antsy…" Blaine asked in concern as he poured Ruby another glass of tea.

"How can I _not_ be? We have the Avatar. We _have the Avatar_. On this ship. With this… the Firelord's trust in me might be complete! I might get to see her again, Blaine!"

"Mmm. Perhaps so. But I do think you need to calm down young master." Blaine replied calmly, passing the brimming cup over to the anxious prince. He ignored the proffered drink.

"I can't calm down… how exactly can one be _calm_ when the _entire world_ would like to get their hands on her?! _Especially_ Lance. I'll bet my sewing kit he'd just _love_ to take the credit for bringing in the Avatar, and we can't be sure that there'll be no more attacks from either the desperate people of Omashu, or the general…"

"If you remember, m'lord, we've taken Flannery into our custody to prevent the general from turning traitor. And even if she let's Red and Gold go, what can they do? And Omashu doesn't know." Blaine sighed, trying to get his young charge to settle down, while silently thinking that the prince was _extremely_ worked up to even _mention_ putting his precious sewing kit on the line. Ruby finally sat, but his leg was jiggling like crazy and he kept glancing out of the window portal nervously.

"I'm not going to be able to calm down." The prince said, and began to breathe more quickly.

"Try having some tea." Blaine advised, trying to offer him the cup once more. Ruby shrank back slightly.

"Careful with that! If it spills I'll have to change!" He gasped, then stood up abruptly, "No, I can't handle it. I've got to go check on her, otherwise I won't be able to settle down." He speed-walked out of the room with his head down, and slammed the door.

"How unlike the young master. But then again, can I really blame him?" Blaine chuckled, sipping at the neglected teacup.

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"Tell me everything." The general said, as she nonchalantly tossed Red to the floor of her tent and dropped Gold. Red glared at her.

"Look, the more time you glare at me, the less time you have to do something about the situation. Tell me everything." She crossed her arms threateningly. Red didn't avert his eyes. He'd never held his gaze against his mother when she was this serious before.

"What's there to tell? You should know what she means to us if we left the Fire Nation with her." Red spat bitterly, "And soon it'll be too late to do anything!"

"Were you the first to find her?" His mom continued, paying no heed to his last comment.

"Yes."

"Hmph. Well stop glaring at me for a second while I give you the rundown." His mother said distractedly, opening the flap of the tent and checking that there was nobody outside, "I'm in a bind. I can't do anything as is, because I need to keep my position here-"

" _Why_?! Why would you want to stay with the Fire Nation if you've seen what we're doing to the world?!" Red interrupted.

" _Because_ I know. I can lessen the damage like this. And _when_ the Avatar challenges the Fire Lord, there will be someone in the Earth Kingdom to decimate his troops. Don't you understand?" Red sat speechless, mouth gaping at his mother's words.

"Now, I'm in a bind," She continued, "Because not only would my position be in danger if I went to help the Avatar, but also because Ruby predicted something like this, and took Flannery. She'd be in danger if I went, and I can't put any of my subordinates at risk. Now, you two on the other hand-"

"If that's the case, then why didn't you let me attack Ruby then and there?!" Red butted in again, eyes blazing.

"Would you _use your head_ for once, Red?! Geez, and I thought _you_ were the smart son… Look. If I had let you go after them then, Blaine would've beaten you into the ground without breaking a sweat. You were in shock at the fall- you're still shaking, even." The general snorted, grabbing Red's arm and shoving his own, trembling hand in his face, "Plus, I know that devious little piece of trash that calls himself prince. If Blaine didn't get to you fast enough, he'd have told me to attack you." She lapsed into silence.

"Okay, so? What are we going to do about it? We missed our chance and now we have no way to get to them!" Red shouted.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, "How did you get _here_ then?" Red gasped at the realization, a determined grimace spreading itself across his face.

"Chuchu!"

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Ruby walked down the echoing, metal corridor as quickly as he could. He would've continually been checking the portholes for signs of pursuit as well, but there were none so deep in the bowels of the ship. The only light came from the flickering flames curling over the prince's fingertips and a few, sputtering torches. But even those were few and far between. Ruby shivered as he passed through a dark patch, grateful that _he_ wasn't the one confined in a suffocating cell. For a moment, he felt remorse creeping up, tapping him on the shoulder and beckoning invitingly. But he shrugged it off. He had no other choice, and there was a life in the balance that was more important to him than the Avatar's.

The door of the Avatar's cell loomed out of the dim corridor, heavy and forbidding. Ruby pulled out a handkerchief and covered his hand as he gingerly took out the rusted key and inserted it into the greasy lock. He winced at the awful scraping noise, and the dirt the handkerchief collected as it rubbed along the door. As soon as he had unbolted the door, he yanked it open (still with the aide of the kerchief), and fell to the floor with a gasp as something hurtled into his midriff, and used his shoulder as a springboard. Out of the corner of his eye, Ruby caught sight of a blond ponytail whipping around as the Avatar scurried out from confinement and down the hall. He stumbled to his feet, fighting for air. She had hit him _hard._ And what was worse, _she had thrown him on the floor_. Tossing aside the dirtied kerchief as if it was something dead (which to the prince at least, it was), he got to his feet and raced after her, yelling at the top of his lungs in the hopes of alerting a guard or two.

Yellow charged down the narrow passageway, her feet pounding the metal surface and sending her footsteps echoing down the long hall. She heard shouts from behind her, and knew that Ruby would be hot in pursuit. She had been shocked when she had realized it had been the prince who had come to check on her, but, even though she wasn't fond of hurting people, she had to admit, it had been slightly satisfying knocking his fashionable butt to the ground.

 _First things first, I've gotta free my hands…_ She thought as she glanced down at her wrists, which were only bound by a single length of rope. It was loose enough that it wasn't chafing her as she ran with her with her arms awkwardly thrust out in front of her so as to not get in the way, but she still didn't have the strength to tear the cord apart. Two guards leapt out at the end of the hallways, blasting streams of fire in her direction.

"Whoa!" Yellow yelled, nimbly leaping over the first guard's shot and sliding under the second. From her position on the floor she swept the first enemy's feet out from under him so he crashed to the ground, and then, with the aid of a gust of wind, flipped over the second, the rope around her wrists catching and tearing on the spikes of his helmet. He fell down behind her, pulled to the ground as she freed her wrists. With a rapid succession of hand-movements, Yellow formed a sphere of air, which she promptly jumped onto, balancing on one foot. She sped down the hallway on her air-scooter, riding up a wall to dodge another couple of soldiers who yelled loudly and tossed a few fireballs her way.

"I need to get out on deck…" Yellow mumbled to herself, as her air scooter dissipated beneath her. Suddenly, she became aware of a high-pitched screaming coming from behind her, and turned to see Ruby rushing at her, his face contorted in both rage and… fear?

" _YOU_!" He shrieked, " _Do you know how disgusting the floor of this ship is_?! Oh yes, and stop escaping! It's hopeless!" Yellow gaped as he charged straight for her, flames wrapping around his body, and his eyes flashing dangerously. A flight of stairs on her right caught her attention and she sped up them, as Ruby dived after her. She mounted the top of the stairs and threw an arm over her eyes as the sun beat down upon her, cruelly bright and shining off of the hot metal of the deck. She had made it outside. Yellow's breath suddenly caught in her throat as she realized that her path was blocked by none other than Blaine. She remembered his fight with Gold, and how he wouldn't have hesitated to end him if Ruby hadn't called him back.

 _Gold… and Red…_ She thought. Yellow still hadn't had a chance to make up with either of them. And now..

 _I might never see them again._ Her eyes scanned her surroundings, hoping in vain to catch a glimpse of land, but there was nothing in sight but ocean.

"This was a dumb plan, wasn't it…" She said aloud, vowing to _not_ follow any more of Ultima's plans. She was too much like Gold.

"Unfortunately Ms. Avatar, you're right on that account." Blaine said, and flames burst to life in his hand.

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Red scrambled up the scraggly cliff, grabbing on to the hardy bushes that clung to the stone and hauling himself towards the stream and cave where the three of them had left Chuchu before sneaking into the Fire Nation camp. Gold stumbled behind him, still slightly groggy and pale from the fall. His bright eyes were a different story however. They were narrowed, but beneath the angry exterior, worry shone, bright and raw. Red had relayed all of their mother's information as he dragged Gold up the mountain, but as soon as Gold had learned what had happened to Yellow, he had pulled away from his brother and began hurrying up to the cave on his own. Red mounted the ridge where he remembered the stream to be, and felt a sliver of triumph bubble up in his gut when he saw the rushing water. He glanced to his right, and sure enough, the cave was right where they had left it. It had only been a day since he had last been there, but it already felt like a lifetime ago.

"Chuchu!" Red yelled, "Chuchu, are you there?" For one, horrifying moment, nothing moved, but then the low grumble of the air bison rumbled out of the cave, and Chuchu stomped out. Her doleful eyes swept past the two of them, looking for someone else..

"Chuchu, I know Yellow's not here, that's why we came to you." Gold piped up, "She was captured by prissy b- I mean, Ruby. She's on a ship heading to the Fire Nation, and the only way we can save her is by flying out there. But unfortunately, we can't fly..." Chuchu seemed to glower at him for a moment, as if to say; " _How could you let_ that _happen?_ " But hunkered down to allow the boys on her back all the same. Pika stuck his head out of Red's shirt (where he had taken refuge during and after the events at the bridge), and clambered over her head, chattering incessantly. Red leapt up onto her head, and gripped the reins tightly in his hands.

"We're coming, Yellow…" He murmured.

"Umm.. Red…"

"What?"

"She isn't moving."

"Chuchu? What's the matter?" Red asked at Gold's statement, realizing that they were still on the ground. She growled a response.

"Sorry girl, but we can't understand bison." Gold snorted, "Do you think there's some sort of 'special word' you have to say to get her to take off?"

"I don't know, we didn't have to say anything _last_ time we rode her…" Red replied, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully.

"Well Yellow was with us last time. Maybe there's like, a password or something for when Yellow's not here to make sure it's Yellow's friends riding, and not thieves or imposters!" Gold said, rubbing the side of his nose with his thumb.

"...That's the smartest thing you've said in a while." Red muttered.

"Thank you bro, I try."

"Okay… so… let's try… Western Air temple!" Red looked expectantly at Chuchu. She didn't move.

"Avatar?"

"Oh c'mon Red, that one's too easy. It can't be something _anybody_ would know, only her _close friends_." Gold pointed out.

"Gold. We're going off a theory here. And we haven't known her for very long." Red replied.

"True." Gold said sagely, nodding in agreement, "But try harder anyway."

"...You're insufferable." Red sighed.

"What about; YES I'M OLDER THAN YOU!" Gold shouted. Chuchu yawned. "Aw, c'mon! That was totally it!"

"What if there isn't one?" Red whispered.

"What?"

"I said, what if there isn't one? What if she won't fly for anyone but Yellow?" Red said, standing up, "Then this is all hopeless!"

"Calm down, bro, she's _gotta_ respond to something, don't give up yet!"

"She hasn't responded to _anything_ so far!"

"Ugh, what if it's really obscure and dumb, like 'yip, yip!' or something…" Gold groaned. Chuchu raised her tail, and sent it crashing down with a terrific 'thwack,' or, that's the sound it would've made if it had ever hit the earth.

"Sozin's beard!" Red cried as he lost his balance and fell backwards into Gold, "You actually got it!" He looked over the edge of Chuchu's saddle to see the earth rapidly shrinking beneath them, and clouds blurring the mountains into a sea of white.

"What the heck? Yellow has a bad taste in passwords… Can't believe that actually worked…"

"Aha… Ahahahahahaha! Woohoo! We can do this!" Red screamed, clawing his way back to Chuchu's head and grabbing the reins for the second time.

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Yellow took up a stance, her eyes flitting nervously between Blaine and Ruby, who had reached the deck as well, hat askew and clothes rumpled. She inwardly groaned as Fire Nation soldiers seemed to appear from nowhere and group behind both the prince and his manservant. Her breath quickened as, with a careless flick of Ruby's hand, the sea of guards rushed at her. She fended the majority off with strong gusts of wind, and backed up further, until the small of her back hit the rail lining the side of the deck.

 _Don't get yourself backed into a corner!_ Ultima's voice echoed inside her head.

 _I know!_ Yellow thought back, and ran towards an oncoming soldier. She slid between his legs, mentally thanking her small stature, and whirled around on her hands, creating a breeze with her legs that threw all of the soldiers away and onto the deck in droves. She stood, panting, in the center of a ring of downed soldiers.

"Oh, stop resisting already, would you?" Ruby shouted, and Yellow noted that he had taken the liberty of meticulously adjusting his hat and clothes back to their usual impeccable tidiness. With a haughty sigh, the prince himself began advancing, and Blaine, taking the cue, began making his way towards Yellow as well. Ruby raised his fist, and drew in a deep breath…

Then he squeaked in shock as a monstrously huge, furry bison landed on top of him. Blaine's mouth fell open, and he froze.

"Yellow!" Red shouted as he leapt off of Chuchu's back, "C'mon! We came to get you out of here!" He stretched out his hand to her, and she stared at it.

"Are you sure you're okay… with helping someone like me?" She asked tentatively.

"Yellow! What the heck, take his hand and get your butt up here! Of course we want to help you! Hurry up, mustache man's coming for you!" Gold's head popped up over the side of the saddle and he waved at her frantically. It was true, Blaine seemed to have snapped out of his stupor, and was roaring in anger. Yellow smiled slightly, and grabbed Red's hand. Then she jumped up to Chuchu's head, pulling Red along with her. She grabbed hold of the reins, and flicked them. The sky bison let out a low, grumbling roar, before taking to the skies. Blaine ran forward to tend to Ruby, who was bawling about the white hairs coating him from head to toe.

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The three benders sat in silence as their bison soared aimlessly through the sky. The light was beginning to fade, and stars were twinkling in the patchwork of dark blues and bruised purples. It had already been an entire day since they had nearly fallen to their deaths. Gold sighed loudly, and Yellow realized that Red had begun to snore. She looked over her shoulder as Gold crawled over to her, and sat himself on the very edge of the saddle, right above her.

"So uh… I think I owe you an apology." He murmured awkwardly. Yellow turned around fully so that she was facing him.

"And I owe you one too." She said with a sigh, "All of this was my fault. You were right all along, and I shouldn't have said what I did…"

"But it was my fault too. You came to help, after all, but I couldn't drop my grudge because of how you made Red feel…" Gold said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I didn't want to hurt him…" Yellow said quietly, "That was the last thing I would ever want, for both of you."

"I know," Gold grinned, "but he forgave you a while ago. It was only me that held onto my anger. But I've forgiven you now, and so I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course." Yellow smiled, and made to embrace the young firebender, however Gold had stuck out his hand for a handshake instead, which resulted in them both pulling back awkwardly. They looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"So… where are we going?" Gold asked.

"Well, when I was with king Birch, he asked me to do something…" Yellow began.

"What, and you're actually going to do what that loony asked you?" Gold snorted.

"I was planning on it, actually. No matter how messed up he was, he was doing it for a reason. And I can't blame him for that. Not to mention, I still owe his grandfather…"

"What reason? I don't think there's any reason good enough to warrant him trying to execute my mom."

"His daughter. Apparently she was captured and wounded by Fire Nation soldiers, and she's hidden somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. He asked me if I could see if there is anything I can do for her." Yellow stated, and Gold fell silent. They sat together without speaking for a minute, before Gold finally opened his mouth again.

"The Fire Nation is a truly awful place, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. It's only the Fire Lord." Yellow said simply.

"...Thanks, Avatar gal." Gold whispered, wrapping his arms around his knees, "By the way, as much as I support scouring the entire Earth Kingdom for this one girl, even though, just mentioning, we don't know what she looks like, we shouldn't do it from this side. Our mom told us that the entire West coast of the Earth Kingdom is either populated by Fire Nation colonies, or more war outfits like hers. There aren't many places in the Earth Kingdom that _don't_ have people of the Fire Nation. So when we enter, we should do it from the East."

"Hmm, that means we'll have to fly all the way around.. that'll take some time." Yellow muttered.

"Well, if we do that, we'll fly straight by the South Pole. Maybe we could stop there and look for some waterbenders to teach you?" Gold suggested.

"Gold, that's a brilliant idea!"

"I have those sometimes."

"I haven't been there in _ages_! Let's go!" Yellow shouted with glee, tugging on reins and steering Chuchu towards the Southern Water Tribe.

 **A/N: So.. as I said at the beginning, I AM SO SORRY, I SERIOUSLY CAN'T APOLOGIZE ENOUGH.**

 **...I really don't have much to say beyond that... except that, YESS we're finally out of the Omashu arc, and on to bigger and better things! I'm really excited about what I get to write next, so I hope you guys are too! I'm really sorry yet again, and I'm going to try and get on a better update schedule now... (I can't promise, but I'm hoping to get chapter 14 out next week)**

 **Reviews are always appreciated!**


	14. The Spirit

**WOW okay, so I'm sorry if anyone came on here before I was able to fix this chapter. Sorry about that, and thank you FlameUser64 for pointing that out! The formatting was totally wonky for a bit there. But anyways... I'm alive! And I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I really have no excuses except that school's been busier than ever. Also, there's finally snow so I can ski! And HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga, or Avatar the Last Airbender**

A loud rumbling came from beneath the saddle where Gold was curled in a thin blanket. He sat up and looked around with bleary eyes, immediately realizing that the wind wasn't as strong as it had been when he had first fallen asleep.

"What's going on?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Chuchu's tired, she's slowing down and I'm looking for a place to land and get some rest." Yellow's voice floated back to him.

"Oh. Okay." He crawled over to the side of the saddle and peered cautiously over the edge, taking care not to nudge the still-sleeping Red.

"Hey Yellow.. what's that?" Yellow glanced over her shoulder to see where Gold was pointing. A frown crept across her face at the sight of the huge, dark patch that lay like a festering sore across what should have been healthy forest.

"I don't know…" The Avatar replied, tugging on the reins and swinging the bison towards the place in question. Chuchu circled lower and lower before finally touching down. A puff of dark ash rose around them like a cloud. Chuchu sneezed violently, bucking the three benders out of her saddle and onto the ground.

"Wha…?" Red spluttered, inhaling a large amount of the soot and coughing.

"Glad to see you're awake too, bro." Gold groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head, "Wow, wonder what happened here, it's totally decimated…"

"It's probably Fire Nation." Red growled angrily, violently clapping a hang over his mouth in an attempt to stifle a yawn, "Only they would burn a whole forest down."

"Probably. Uuugh, why'd we ever side with them?" Gold sighed, "What d'you think, Yellow?" He turned to look at the small airbender, who was staring at the ashes beneath her feet. She fell to her knees with a sigh, scooping up a handful and letting the soot slip through her fingers.

"So much destruction.. this entire forest... and it's all my fault." Yellow murmured, running her fingertips through the dusty, gray layer, leaving score marks.

"Yellow… how is it your fault? You had nothing to do with this!" Red said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sighed again, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"That's just the problem. I wasn't here to stop this, or anything else that happened while I was gone. One hundred years Red, one hundred years of suffering that I could have ended. That I was supposed to stop." Yellow said, gazing down at the palms of her hands.

"Nice going, you really cheered her up, bro." Gold snorted, chucking a handful of ashes at Red.

"Owch! C'mon Gold, not cool! What did you throw at me?" Red shouted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Just a handful of this stuff, you wimp." Gold said, pointing towards the ground.

"No, there was something else in there." Red replied, gingerly removing his hand, "Something a bit… more painful."

"Maybe it was this…?" Yellow asked, holding up something round and hard.

"Looks like it.. what is it, exactly?" Red nodded, staring at the object curiously.

"It's…" Yellow turned the small thing over in her hand, "...a seed."

"A seed?" Gold pulled a face, "What's that doing here?"

"Hang on a sec…" Red muttered, and dug his hands into the layer of soot, overturning handfuls.

"Look!" He spluttered as a puff of dust rose, and grinned, holding up more of the tiny seeds for his companions to see.

"What, so there are tons of those little things buried under all this?" Gold asked, incredulously, "How'd they get here?"

"New life follows in the wake of destruction…" Yellow breathed, gently cradling the precious kernels.

"Is that some weird airbender slogan?" Gold yawned, flicking another seed at the back of Red's head.

"Owch!" Red yelped as the seed hit him square on, "Watch where you're flicking those things! They're sharp! So, this whole forest is going to grow back?"

"Yes, it will." Yellow said, taking the seeds and burying them again with care. She slowly stood, a smile spreading across her face.

"Thanks, you two."

"And all I had to do was chuck something at Red… who knew?" Gold marveled.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, Yellow." Red grinned, patting her on the back, "Now is there any chance of me getting back to sleep?"

"Doubt it, bro." Gold said pointedly, nodding towards a figure drawing nearer to them. Red and Yellow immediately leaped to their feet, viewing the newcomer with wary eyes. He was an older fellow, with sandy hair and a goatee clinging to his chin..

"Pleased to meet you young people. The name's Cedric Juniper." He said jovially, sticking out his hand to shake. Red obliged, but didn't match Juniper's jolly demeanor.

"Hello, I'm Red. This is my brother, Gold, and our friend, Yellow."

"Ah yes, the Avatar, correct?" Juniper said, shooting a sidelong glance at Yellow. The three young benders exchanged expressions of shock, before turning back to stare incredulously at Juniper.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." The older man smiled kindly.

"Who are you? How do you know who she is?" Red piped up, stepping between Yellow and Juniper, "Explain yourself!"

"Calm down, young man," Cedric raised his hands above his head, "I mean you three no harm. In fact, I require the Avatar's aid. Yellow, was it?"

"That's right.." Yellow said uncertainly, still eyeing the man up and down.

"Wonderful! I'm sorry if I seem a bit forward, but I come from a village not far from here. You three seem quite tired, and I'd be happy to offer you a place to rest-"

"You said you needed Yellow's help. What do you need her for?" Gold interrupted, an obvious frown etched in his face.

"Of course." Juniper's face crinkled into a kindly smile, "Well you see, my village is troubled. Every night, we are visited by a beast from the spirit world, and each time it visits, it takes one of us with it. Those that have been taken thus far have never been heard from again… It pains me to see those who are supposedly under my protection swept away to an unknown fate such as this. And there is nothing I can do…"

"Couldn't you just move?" Gold questioned loudly, yelping as Red jabbed an elbow into his ribs. Juniper simply smiled sadly at him.

"Oh dear boy, can't you see? It is our home out here. We couldn't simply leave. And not to mention, the mountains are near impassable without ostrich horses!"

"Of course I'll help you, Cedric!" Yellow announced, grabbing the man's hand.

"We will?" Gold choked, "I-I mean, of course we will!" Red nodded in affirmation of his companions' words.

"But I think we will also take you up on your offer of a place to rest, our bison's too tired to keep flying, and I'd like to get back to sleep as well. We were up all day yesterday, and flew through the night." Red added, "Also, I have another question. How did you know Yellow was the Avatar? And why did you specifically ask her for help?"

"Ah. Well you see, I am a researcher. A professor, if you will-"

"First Oak, now this guy.. why do we keep meeting so many 'professors' named after trees?" Gold grumbled.

"-And I have done every bit of research I can while secluded in these mountains on the Avatar." Juniper continued, seemingly unfazed by Gold's interruption, "I knew that the current Avatar should be an Airbender, and judging by your dress and tattoos I made an assumption. And I was correct. Which is a wonderful coincidence, stumbling upon the bridge between the spirit world and ours, considering the disaster my village is facing."

"That's great an' all, but is there any chance of us going now? I'm getting a bit tired of standing in this dusty wasteland.." Gold cut in.

"Of course, of course! Follow me, it's not far." Juniper turned and retraced his footsteps towards a line of trees, that had been left unharmed by the terrible flames that had raged in the valley in some distant past. The three young benders kept to his heels, sighing in relief as they entered the spit of woods and the sounds and smells of life met their senses once again. Yellow hung further back, coaxing Chuchu through the closely knit forest and attempting to clear the way for the large bison. Chuchu growled unhappily as she found herself caught up in branches and creepers for the fifth time. Red stared around at the lush forest, unused to such a myriad of greens, having grown up in the bustling towns and beaches of the Fire Nation and Ember Island. Then the tall trunks began to thin out, and a narrow, well-worn path appeared, snaking out towards a clearing where a small, walled-in town had been built.

"Here we are! We're heading towards that big building in the center, but you can leave your bison over here. There isn't enough room inside, and we've got a barn full of hay if she's hungry."

"Thank you once again!" Yellow smiled, as she led Chuchu over to the barn. Gold sidled up to his brother and nudged him in the shoulder.

"What's up, Gol-" Red began, but the words caught in his throat as he saw what Gold was pointing out. Where several small houses should have been, piles of rubble and splintered wooden beams stood, dark and intimidating against the early morning light. A few houses that were still upright had chunks missing, wounds that gaped open at the wispy morning clouds.

"Oh." Red finished simply.

"I guess he was serious when he said this is a real problem. Doesn't look like the spirit's just taking villagers, huh?" Gold whispered.

"I'm starting to rethink this plan," Red murmured in reply, "it's seeming significantly more dangerous than I first thought."

"Yeah…" Gold glanced back at Yellow nervously, "Do you think she can do it?"

"I don't know. That's what worries me." Red said shortly, as Yellow ran back up to them, leaving Chuchu to happily munch on a heap of hay.

"Got that taken care of? Alright, here we are, then." Juniper smiled again, and waved them towards the biggest building, set at the very back and center of the town, "The spirit monster doesn't appear until nightfall, so we have most of the day to prepare."

"Or be bored outta our minds.." Gold said under his breath.

"Speaking of that... how are you planning on dealing with the spirit, Yellow?" Red asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Umm.. I don't really know, I'm hoping that it'll come to me. You know, get some help from my past lives, talk to the spirit, bridge between the two worlds… Stuff like that!" Yellow said, beaming at her two friends.

"That sounds… very reassuring.." Red muttered.

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Red stared anxiously out the window of the meeting house, drumming his fingers incessantly on the sill, and glancing back at the entire town's population setting up cots and sleeping bags on the floor behind him. Juniper had judged it far too unsafe for anyone to sleep in their own homes, and had ordered the villagers to spend each night in a group, in the town hall. He had also pointedly ignored Gold's comment on 'putting all the prey in the same place.' Red sighed, brows furrowing as he noticed the shadows of the trees beginning to lengthen. He did have faith in Yellow, and after witnessing her ability and fighting prowess on multiple occasions, he knew those beliefs weren't unfounded. But despite that he couldn't help but worry.

"The sky's getting dark! Everyone please come inside!" Juniper's voice rang out, and for a moment there was a harried calamity as the building filled with citizens. Red bit his lip and turned to stare at the sun, now blood-red and hanging low in the sky, like a ripe apple in Autumn.

"Hey, Red, are you okay? You don't look so good." Yellow said softly, placing a tentative hand on his arm.

"Still worried, huh, bro?" Gold sidled up to his companions.

"How can I not be? Yellow, you've never done anything like this before. What if you can't..." Red turned to face her.

"Don't worry! I've done this thousands of times over. Not me directly, but my past lives. It will come to me!" Yellow responded, spreading her arms wide in a placating gesture.

"Yeah. We're all going to be eaten by a giant spirit monster." Gold said with a hopeless smile.

"Gold, that's not helping anybody!" Yellow nudged him in the ribs.

"Would you people stop elbowing me?" He yelped, rubbing his sore ribcage.

"Only when you stop making stupid comments." Red grunted. Suddenly, they were torn away from their bickering by a piercing shriek.

"It's here!" A woman yelped, one, trembling finger thrust out the window. The three young friends whipped around to gape at the sight that greeted them. A terrifically huge beast had appeared, as if out of thin air, at the entrance to the village. It stood on all fours, and after closer inspection, Red realized that there was a third set of appendages sprouting from its shoulders. It's skin was sleek, white, and covered in black markings. It's head was small, and hanging low below the shoulders. A huge, leering mouth was stretched across its face, sharp teeth clenched together.

"Hei Bai." Juniper growled.

"Is that its name?" Gold asked, fear rising, "I didn't think it would be this big…" Beside him, Yellow took a deep breath before striding towards the door. Red held his breath and dug his nails into his palm to keep himself from dashing after her. She soared out the door on her glider, and landed a fair distance away from Hei Bai on a rooftop. The spirit paid her no heed, and turned to the nearest building, a half-broken wreck, smashing it into splinters with his extra arms.

"Stop, wait! Don't break anything else!" Yellow shouted as loudly as she could, trembling slightly as the words left her mouth, and bracing herself for the monster to turn on her. He didn't. Hei Bai shimmered blue for a split second, before disappearing and reappearing a few feet away. It happened so swiftly, that for a moment, Yellow wondered if she had imagined it. The the spirit opened his maw and let loose a roar, and a fearsome flash of blue light. Yet another house disintegrated in the energy blast.

"Hang on a minute! You've got to listen to me! I'm the Avatar! The bridge between the two worlds?" Yellow yelled, her voice stronger this time. She ran along the roof of one building, and onto the top of the barn, where Chuchu was cowering and letting out distressed rumbles. Once again, the spirit ignored her completely, teleporting yet again to mete out more destruction.

"The Avatar's methods are… unusual…" Juniper mumbled from the safety of the big house. Red glared at him.

"Why are you doing this?! Please stop and listen to me, I'm the Avatar!" Yellow leapt into the air, swooping towards Hei Bai's face on her glider, "I-I command you to sto-" But her sentence was cut short as the monster swatted her away from his face like a pesky fly.

"Yellow!" Red and Gold shouted in unison, Red beating his brother out of the window and racing towards his fallen comrade at full tilt.

"You're gonna pay for that one, you monster!" Gold roared, rushing Hei Bai with his fists ablaze and spirit aroused.

"Gold, no, wait!" Red screamed, but too late. Hei Bai turned, as if to stare at Gold, as he flung fistful of flames at him, before swiftly lunging out and snatching Gold bodily with his forearm.

"GOLD!" Red got to his feet and tore after his brother, but Yellow was faster. She sped past him on her glider. Hei Bai turned away from the destruction and began loping away at an incredible pace.

"Hang on, Gold! I'm going to get you out of there!" She yelled, and blasted a gust of air towards the spirit in an effort to get him to drop Gold. It had no effect. She swooped by Hei Bai's head again, dodging the blow she knew was coming. The monstrous spirit entered the woods, dashing along the narrow path that led to the village. Yellow weaved through the trees on her glider, taking care to keep Hei Bai and Gold in her line of sight, while not crashing into any of the obstacles in her path. Then the woods thinned and Hei Bai's limbs began kicking up ash from scorched earth of the fire.

"Gold!" She reached out her hand, and he did likewise.

"Yellow! Help!" He screeched, fingertips brushing hers. She snatched at them, but could feel him slipping away.

"Gold!" She screamed again, as blue light enveloped Hei Bai once again, and he, along with her friend, vanished. Yellow tumbled to the ground, landing hard, and in a cloud of dust. The world went dark for a moment. Then she sat up, rubbing her head waiting for her vision to stop spinning.

"I… failed…" She whispered, the realization dawning on her. What was she going to say to Red? Was Gold gone forever? Surely there was some way to get him back. With that thought, she hauled herself to her feet and began trudging slowly back to the village. The sky had gone completely dark by then, and the pinpoints of light from the village drew Yellow back like a moth. She entered the town limits with her head hanging low. Red was standing before her.

"Red.. I-I'm sorry. I couldn't save him…" Yellow choked, clenched fists trembling and hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes. There was no response.

"Red…?" She looked up in concern.

"Don't worry, Chuchu, I'm sure they'll be back soon. They're both going to be.. just fine…" Red murmured to himself, stroking the giant bison and staring straight at Yellow's head. Or… through her…?

"Red, no! I'm here! Right here!" She said, waving her hands in front of his face frantically. She tried touching his arm, but her hand went right through. Her stomach plummeted in fear.

"Wh-what? What's.. going on!?"

 **Sorry again for the wait, and reviews are very much appreciated, as always! :D**


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